Section 1. NVAA Nuts & Bolts

ADVANCE PREPARATION

Getting to Know You: NVAA Faculty
While many NVAA faculty have trained together at specific sites, new faculty are often brought onto site teams. One month prior to the Academy, e-mail your site's faculty members, and ask them to submit a one-page vitae that can be compiled into a single document and e-mailed back to your entire site faculty three weeks prior to the Academy.

The faculty vita can also be condensed into one-paragraph overviews in a document for distribution to your student body in the NVAA Student Registration Package.

Getting to Know You: NVAA Students
Each NVAA site's student roster will be e-mailed to you one month in advance of the Academy. The Site Coordinator can, in turn, e-mail this roster to your site's faculty three weeks in advance of the Academy. This is helpful for faculty to understand the disciplines and experiences represented by students prior to attending the NVAA.

The site student roster can also be utilized in advance to divide students into mentoring groups. You may wish to mix students from different disciplines into each mentoring group or divide them according to discipline. For example:

• Law enforcement and law enforcement-based victim advocates.
• Prosecutors and prosecution-based victim advocates (including court advocates).
• Corrections and corrections-based victim advocates (including probation, parole, corrections, and appellate level).
• Juvenile justice and victim advocates.
• Domestic violence victim advocates.
• Sexual assault victim advocates.
• Child abuse/neglect victim advocates.
• Other community-based victim services (MADD, homicide support groups, hate crimes, inter-faith victim assistance, elder abuse, etc.).
• General victim assistance (coalitions, VOCA administrators, compensation directors, and community-based victim assistance centers).

A great way to indicate students' mentoring team is to place a sticker on each student's name tag for easy identification.

VALOR will send you one copy of each student's application. Please compile these in a three-ring binder for on-site review by faculty members. You may wish to compile these alphabetically or in the order of mentoring teams (so that faculty can pay particular attention to the students they will be mentoring).

Student Listserv
Once you receive your student roster, it's a good idea to create a site-specific student listserv to enhance communications with your students. Please make sure to note those students who do not have e-mail addresses so that paper copies of all NVAA communications can be mailed to them. Alternatively, creating a simple group e-mail list can be useful for future announcements and communications.

When sending e-mail communications, be sure to include both Word and Word Perfect versions of your attached documents.

Advance Contact with NVAA Students
It is helpful for students to receive a personal communication in advance of the Academy from their site and faculty. This memorandum should include basic information about the schedule, what to bring, what to expect (including any special activities such as "hat contests," etc.), and on-site contact information for students' families and colleagues. This can be e-mailed or mailed to students.

Your advance memorandum should also include information (telephone number, fax, and e-mail) for a single point of contact (the Site Coordinator or a faculty member) for additional NVAA information in advance of the Academy.

Sample letters are included in Appendices A and B.

Approximately two weeks prior to the Academy, site coordinators and/or student faculty should phone each student to "check in" to see if students have any remaining questions prior to arrival. This also extends an extra courtesy.

NVAA Faculty Preparation
Learning activities, including key instruction points based upon the NVAA Text and accompanying PowerPoint presentations, can be utilized to provide experiential, hands-on individual, small group, and large group activities. These are included in the Instructor's Manual for your use and include the following:

• Three key concepts/objectives to emphasize in instruction and learning activities.
• Goals of activity.
• Description of activity and faculty guidelines.
• Type of activity (individual, small group, or large group).
• Approximate amount of time required.
• Resources needed to complete the learning activity.
• Worksheets (for faculty, facilitators, and students).

Each learning activity indicates the approximate length of time it will take to conduct. You should plan your NVAA schedule based upon the amount of time it will take to convey the "key points" (noted above) and to conduct the learning activity.

Once you have drafted your NVAA 2002 schedule, you must determine which faculty will be assigned to teach each chapter. Each faculty member should be provided with a schedule (with their names/assignments highlighted for quick reference), Text (with 2002 supplements), Instructor's Manual, and disk with copies of PowerPoint presentations (which they can augment as needed) at least three weeks prior to the Academy.

If faculty members are "team teaching" a chapter, please ensure that they contact their co-faculty prior to the Academy, and refer to the "team teaching" section of the Instructor's Manual for tips on how to collaborate both prior to and on-site at the Academy.

Your site's finalized schedule should be e-mailed or mailed to your student body for receipt at least two weeks prior to the Academy.

Videotapes to Augment NVAA Instruction
There are a number of excellent videotapes available from OVCRC as well as other sources that can enhance the students' learning experiences. A list of available videotapes (including title, approximate length, applicable chapter, and ordering information) is included in Appendix C.

Student Registration Package
A Student Registration Package must be prepared and should include the following:

• Welcome letter from the faculty.
• Welcome letter from OVC Director (to be provided).
• Schedule/agenda.
• Room and suite-mate (if utilized) assignments.
• Room key.
• Meal tickets or whatever will be used by students to access the meal service.
• Site-specific contact information (telephone, cell phone [24/7] and fax of Site Coordinator).
• List of students (including all relevant contact information).
• List of faculty (including brief faculty vita).
• Campus map (with key locations highlighted for easy reference) and city map.
• List of campus sites of interest to students and availability (i.e., library, gymnasium, pool, etc.).
• Guidelines on where to park.
• Parking passes.
• Guidelines for student meals and meal tickets.
• Security suggestions.
• Information about the city in which your site is located (which can be obtained from your Chamber of Commerce).
• List of nearby restaurants.
• List of nearby attractions of interest (which can be obtained from your Chamber of Commerce).
• List, schedule, and locations of AA and NA meetings, other relevant self-help groups, and churches.

ON-SITE PREPARATION

Many of the suggested activities included in this section can be prepared in advance of the Academy. In addition, it is helpful to have site faculty members arrive on Saturday (or earlier) to help prepare these activities.

• Some Academy sites choose a theme that is carried throughout the NVAA week. All suggestions in this section can be theme-related.

• "Welcome" posters can be created in advance of the Academy and hung behind the student registration desk (utilizing newsprint paper available for a nominal fee from your local newspaper).
• Victim theme-related posters and inspirational quotations can be hung in student dormitory hallways prior to their arrival.
• With university permission, "welcome" and inspirational quotations can be chalked onto the sidewalks leading into the registration area.
• Creative nameplates (made from colored construction paper) can be placed on each student's dormitory room door. Students can also decorate their own nameplates as necessary.
• An on-campus central meeting place ("student lounge") can be established for students to meet during "down time" at the Academy and can include:

  • A resource table with information available from OVCRC (each site has received information from OVCRC regarding ordering free informational resources for NVAA students).
  • Chairs placed for conversation.
  • Posters and perhaps a city map on the walls.
  • Vases of fresh flowers.
  • Fans for comfort in the heat.
  • A boom box.
  • Daily newspapers.
  • Magazines (reflecting a variety of cultures, genders, and interests-you can have your faculty start collecting these six weeks in advance of the Academy and bring to your site).
  • Games (e.g., checkers, backgammon, etc.).
  • Toys (e.g., beach balls, puzzles, etc.).

• "Fabulous prizes" awarded as incentives to students are always popular. Prizes can be found at local "dollar stores" or from the Oriental Trading Company (www.orientaltrading.com).
• In your advance correspondence, invite students to bring their favorite CDs and encourage a variety of music. Play music in the morning and during breaks.
• Develop a "fund raiser" for a local victim services program. For example, charge students a nominal fee ($1.00) to borrow the faculty's iron. Encourage students to come up with creative ideas to raise money for local victim services (for example, backrubs in the student lounge, musical entertainment, a talent show, etc.). In 2001, MUSC raised over $600 for People Against Rape from NVAA fund raising activities.
• Sponsor morning or evening walks led by faculty. Determine a starting point and "points of interest" from the Chamber of Commerce in advance. It is helpful to have three faculty chaperones for "slow," "medium," and "speed" walkers. This is a great way to encourage daily exercise and provide students with one-on-one exposure to faculty.
• Host a sponsored "student night out with faculty" at a local establishment that has good music, pool tables or other group games, and inexpensive food and beverages. This is a great way to bond with students.
• Host a "faculty walkabout" evening. Encourage students to open their room doors or to meet in pre-designated areas for informal "meet and greet" sessions with the faculty.
• Determine in advance a good location to take both a class photo and a faculty photo. Provide the opportunity for students to take pictures with/without NVAA shirts (and optionally, with/without funny hats and prizes). Reproduce the class photo and present each student with a 5 x 7 copy at graduation.
• Arrange for local victim service providers to host an "evening of fun" for students. For example, for the past four years, the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network has hosted an ice cream social for MUSC students, complete with great music, prizes (local to Charleston and including free dinners and hotel nights donated by local establishments), and extensive information available about victim assistance and services in South Carolina.
• Engage all students as much as possible while on-site. Request, when appropriate, their assistance in setting up rooms and activities, transporting Academy resource boxes, etc. Remember to thank them for their support, and offer "fabulous prizes" to recognize their efforts.
• Contact local businesses and organizations for donations that can be used as student prizes and props, particularly if the site has chosen a particular "theme" for the week. For instance, one year Washburn University chose a "construction" theme and a local hardware store donated canvas tool belts, washers, and other small items for all the students. Another year, they had a "flight" theme and local air museums donated books and posters as prizes.

• Consider using a team building activity that the mentoring groups can engage in throughout the week. Washburn University has used the "egg drop challenge" for several years. The goal is to design a container in such a way that it will protect an egg from breaking when dropped from a designated distance. Mentoring groups build containers with materials they are given. Various categories for fabulous prizes are used so that every group ends up being a winner in some way! Instructions for the egg drop activity are attached as Appendix D. Once the activity is completed, faculty debrief with teams as a group to discuss team dynamics and review the team building lessons of the exercise.

ON-SITE FACULTY COORDINATION

• Be prepared for unexpected current events that may affect Academy proceedings. For example, during the 1996 NVAA, TWA Flight 800 crashed off the Atlantic coast near New York City. There were significant emotional reactions and concerns among NVAA students, and a journalist who was scheduled to teach at Washburn University was unable to attend because he was assigned to cover this tragedy. Prior to the Academy, discuss the possibility of unexpected events with your faculty, and develop a strategic plan for how to respond and attend to students' needs and concerns.
• Plan time each evening (and morning, if needed) for faculty to coordinate the day's activities, and take "pulse checks" of NVAA activities. Use this opportunity to make small adjustments to the day's schedule as necessary.
• Provide opportunities on a daily basis for faculty input, and encourage their input (including criticism) to improve the overall Academy experience.
• Designate a space for faculty coordination and debriefings. Ideas to make this space pleasant and productive include:

  • Have a coffee maker with all the condiments.
  • Have an ice chest/refrigerator with water and sodas.
  • Have a boom box with appropriate music.
  • Provide vases with fresh flowers.
  • Make sure you clean the faculty lounge every morning or evening to ensure that your faculty will want to return!
  • Hang "to do" tear sheets on the wall for each day of the Academy, and "check off" items as they are completed.

• Take care of your faculty! Develop a "buddy system" with faculty partners designated to "keep an eye on each other" for symptoms of stress, etc.

SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE NVAA

• In opening remarks, make students aware that the Academy week can be strenuous—physically, mentally and emotionally. Be very clear about the emotional and sometimes traumatic nature of topics to be discussed, and identify faculty members who can assist any students who have emotional or trauma reactions. Explain the best approach and how to determine when students may need assistance.
• Provide students with a faculty member point-of-contact for 24/7 contact (cell phones can be helpful here).
• Arrange for a faculty member to be on call (four faculty each day for six hour shifts) to assist any students who may need support.
• To the degree possible, utilize a variety of students as facilitators for small group activities and encourage leadership and participation from all NVAA students.
• Provide tear sheet paper posted on walls that include the following for student input:

  • "Expectations." To record participant expectations of the presentation prior to beginning the session. NVAA faculty should clarify exactly which "expectations" can be met through the session and offer referrals for further information about topics that cannot be addressed within the time frame. "Expectations" should be maintained in full view throughout the Academy to help ensure that they are met.
  • Resource sheets. Presenters should offer students additional materials that can be obtained through clearinghouses, Web sites, and other resources. Two to four tear sheets posted on the wall entitled "Additional Resources" or "Extra Stuff" can be filled as the presentation progresses.
  • "Parking Lot." A tear sheet with a picture of a car, for example, provides a space for participants to post questions or ideas that arise throughout the session, without interrupting the flow of the session. Presenters can also use the "parking lot" to post questions and topics students raise that can be addressed at a later time. Parking lot topics can either be written in felt pen on the tear sheet, or placed there using Post-it notes that are provided to participants. It is important for presenters to ensure that parking lot topics are addressed, either personally to the participant who identified it, or to the group as a whole.

• Establish ground rules and schedules, and post them for student contributions and continual observation. NVAA students expect you to take care of them during the Academy week. Although they may not admit it, most participants appreciate structure and rules, particularly to insure that you meet your commitments to them. Your discussion of rules and schedules can encourage harmonious working relationships, build enthusiasm, and build commitment. These ground rules and schedules are a contract between you and the participants; don't establish any rules/procedures you aren't willing to follow yourself. Time frames are important—start on time, end on time (and always seek permission from participants when agreed-upon time schedules are not met). Traditional ground rules might include:

  • No idea is a bad idea.
  • It is important for everyone to participate, and it is helpful if individuals don't over-participate at the expense of others.
  • No arguments!
  • If instructions for activities are not clear, participants will ask for clarification.
  • Breaks (a few long breaks or a lot of short breaks); participants can inform faculty when they are desperate for one.
  • If the agreed-upon schedule needs to be changed, participants will be asked for their input.
  • If any student finds a remark by another student or faculty member to be offensive, s/he can say "ouch" (or whatever expression works) to send a message of discomfort.

• Meet and greet students as they arrive each morning, and stand by the doors as they exit with words of gratitude and encouragement.
• Create a "things I wish I had known prior to coming to the NVAA" tear sheet (or multiple sheets—the list can get long!) and encourage students to contribute throughout the Academy week. This can be utilized for distribution to future NVAA students. (See Appendix A.)
• Have a boom box to play music before and after sessions and at breaks; select music that fits the theme of the session or day where possible. Encourage students to contribute their CDs to the music roster.
• Begin each day with a few "icebreakers" that reward students with "fabulous prizes" for recalling key teaching points from the prior day.
• Sponsor activities that engage all the students and encourage their interaction. Ensure all students are able to participate in some way for the activity chosen. Consider the following:

  • Contest for the best hats that represent their agency, discipline, or jurisdiction.
  • "Best alternative use of binder" contest, which entails having students use their binders in fun ways (such as a pillow or ironing board). Have a Polaroid camera on hand to take photos of student entries (and provide a few for "starters"), and conduct a vote for "best alternative use of binder."
  • Team activities such as "egg drops" or volleyball.

• Arrange an attractive background for photo opportunities for students (e.g., with an NVAA banner and/or mascot in the background).
• Provide a few dozen beach balls to kick or throw around in down time.
• Pay attention to the NVAA physical learning environment: Too hot? Too cold? Need for student stretch breaks?
• Encourage faculty to disperse among the students and avoid sitting together all the time—during sessions, at breaks and meals, and during free time. Make yourself readily available!
• Stress the importance of student evaluations in order to improve the NVAA, both on a daily basis and for future NVAA programs. End each day with "daily evaluations." When each student turns in an evaluation form, give him/her a raffle ticket. Then each morning, raffle off a "fabulous prize" (such as a tee-shirt) with the evaluation-return raffle tickets.

NVAA GRADUATION

• On Friday morning, ensure that each student has completed the overall NVAA evaluation and returned it to you. It is helpful, the night before, to have identified all students who are "leaving early" and secure their overall NVAA evaluation form. NVAA certificates should only be provided to students who have completed their overall evaluation form.
• Make your graduation ceremony special! Consider the following:

  • Invite (if appropriate) local "dignitaries" to graduation: the university president; local United States Attorney; local congressperson, city council member, etc. If possible, make sure they have the opportunity to make some remarks and meet students and faculty.
  • Bring a boom box to play appropriate music during the graduation luncheon.
  • Ask each faculty to "make the rounds" of the entire room and personally thank each student for attending.
  • Also ask each faculty to prepare a one-minute "thank you" speech for students.
  • Consider preparing and conducting a faculty skit. Be sure and make copies of your skit for each student-they will want it!!!
  • Establish a closure activity that has meaning for students. At Washburn, students are each given a flower and one at a time, they put their flower into a vase at the front of the graduation room with an expression of one word that describes their experience at NVAA.
  • Personally congratulate and thank every student as they exit the graduation luncheon.

• Follow up on any requests made by students during the Academy week in a timely manner.

APPENDIX A. IMPORTANT NVAA 2002 MEMORANDUM

TO: Charleston National Victim Assistance Academy Students

FROM: Your Faculty Team (Drs. Dean, Michael, Anne, Aurelia, David, Jane, Jo, Trudy and Miss Vickey)

Greetings from your Charleston 2002 National Victim Assistance Academy faculty! We are very excited about the sharing and learning opportunities that await us in just a few weeks. While the Academy is a challenging and strenuous week, we would be remiss if we didn't make sure it also included LOTS OF FUN!

• First and foremost, a cherished Academy tradition is asking each student (a.k.a. "YOU") to bring a hat that signifies your agency, profession, community, or state. We will also wear our special hats, AND we will award prizes for the most creative hats! Be forewarned that if you do not BRING a hat, one will be made for you that is likely to be much more embarrassing than one you could think up for yourself! BE CREATIVE!
• Second and almost equally important, we think music adds a lot to our training experience. Please bring your favorite CD or cassette tape, and we will play as many each morning, at breaks, and in the evenings as we can accommodate.

Finally, some tips from former Academy faculty and students:

• Rest up prior to arriving at 2002 MUSC NVAA! While our daily schedule is rigorous, we also have optional early morning and evening activities, so you will need plenty of energy to keep up.
• BRING YOUR OWN TOWELS AND WASHCLOTHS! Although these will be provided by the luxury dorms in which you'll be staying, they will be ragged, see-through, and rough on the tender skin!
• If you think you'll have time to run out and pick up shampoo, toothpaste, etc, you might be able to squeeze in an off-campus visit at 3 a.m. to a 7-11 (if Charleston has one within a reasonable distance). So make sure you have soap, hair stuff, and all the items that will give you an "A+" in hygiene! (But rest assured, a Sunday evening trip to WalMart is an annual highlight for both faculty and students!)
• PLEASE dress casually and comfortably, except for graduation (nice duds encouraged on Friday only). It will be hot and humid, so shorts are way cool.
• "Photo ops" should abound, so if you'd like some mementos of your Academy week, make sure to bring a camera!
• Be sure to bring an alarm clock!
• Your faculty will lead leisurely, average, and power walks around beautiful Charleston each morning. If this interests you, bring comfortable walking shoes and attire - it's a great opportunity for one-on-one faculty/student bonding. . . .
• Bring an extra suitcase for the monstrous Academy binder and other resources we'll be providing!

While this probably goes without saying, please leave any/all firearms at home.

We have asked former NVAA students to list "things I wish I had known prior to attending the NVAA." This list is attached for your review.

Your faculty will be available for mentoring throughout the week, but we encourage you to mentor each other as well. We realize that many of our students could teach circles around us. Take care of yourself during the week and take care of your classmates as well!

While many of you will have cellular phones at the Academy, it is helpful to have the following contact information for your family and colleagues:

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact faculty member Anne Seymour at 202-547-1732, or via e-mail at annesey@erols.com. We are really excited about what we expect to be a wonderful week at the 8th National Victim Assistance Academy!!!

ATTACHMENT: "Things I Wish I Had Known Prior to Attending the NVAA"

Things I Wish I Had Known Prior to Attending the NVAA

• I wish I'd brought some shower shoes (flip flops, zorries, etc).

• I wish I'd brought some soap.

• I wish I'd brought some hangers.

• I wish I'd brought a night light.

• I wish I'd brought a spare key chain for my room key.

• I wish I'd brought a phone since the dorm phones are so crummy.

• I wish I'd brought an answering machine because there isn't any message service.

• I wish I'd brought a small binder to put chapters from the academy binder in each day.

• I wish I'd brought some drinking cups.

• I wish I'd brought a camera (photo ops abound! Charleston is lovely).

• I wish I'd brought some plastic/trash bags.

• I wish I'd brought a t-shirt from my agency for "Agency T-shirt" Day.

• I wish I'd brought brochures, etc., from my agency for a resource table.

• I wish I'd brought lots of business cards.

• I wish I'd brought a coffee pot.

APPENDIX B. [Washburn Advance Memorandum to Students]

May 24, 2000

Dear NVAA Participant:

Greetings from Washburn University, a proud co-sponsor of the National Victim Assistance Academy. The University is continuing a five-year tradition as an Academy host site for practitioners from all over the United States. This year promises to be the best ever, and we are looking forward to sharing the unique experience the Academy offers you.

By now you should have received quite a bit of information and materials from VALOR about your participation in the National Victim Assistance Academy. These include:

• Confirmation Letter
• Information about Academic Credit
• Logistical Information about the Site (travel, etc.)
• Academy Text

If you have not received these items by now, you should contact VALOR by calling toll free, 877-748-NVAA. Once you receive the Text, you are strongly encouraged to begin your pre-Academy reading. This is important because the faculty prepare their presentations based on the assumption that you have read the Text.

Your commitment as a participant in the Academy will be matched by the Academy faculty and the University resources. The Academy is a very intense learning event, not only in terms of instruction but also in terms of activities. These activities are intended to enhance the content and, just as important, to be fun. The Washburn site takes great pride in the fact that not only do we offer a positive learning experience for the participants at our site, but we also have more fun than any other site!!!

Striving for enhanced learning and fun, it has become a custom for us at the Washburn site to choose a theme for the NVAA week. This year we have chosen the theme Odyssey into Victim Assistance: From Alpha to Omega at Washburn University (or, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Washburn NVAA). Why this theme? Well, as you aware, the NVAA is a residential program; that is, the participants stay on campus. The primary residences this year will be two sorority houses—the Zeta Tau Alpha and the Kappa Alpha Theta—and one dorm. How can you not feel connected to this theme with all those Greek letters on the front of the building? And lest you think that sororities have nothing in common with the field of victim assistance, a little research has revealed that since 1989, the philanthropy of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority has been CASA. Furthermore, the patron goddess for Zeta Tau Alpha is Themis, the Greek goddess of justice.

The theme is also appropriate for other reasons. Many of the great philosophers—Socrates, Plato, Aristotle—were Greek. We, too, shall be great thinkers-and shall pontificate many great mysteries-like why there is such resistance to ensuring victim rights; why after counting all hours devoted to the job, the average victim practitioner gets paid about $0.70 an hour; and why those grant applications are so confusing.

As you prepare for your NVAA adventure at Washburn University, there are a couple of things you should know:

Lodging
Have you ever stayed at a charming little bed and breakfast in the country? Well, these dorm rooms and sorority houses have . . . er, uh . . . charm, but not quite of bed and breakfast quality. They are, well, rooms with the traditional college student in mind. As such, they are pretty nonluxurious—even less than plebeian. You may want to bring your favorite bedspread, pillow, or kid's drawing. A list of basic survival items should have been included in the NVAA letter. Don't forget an alarm clock, hangers, shower shoes, and, if you really want luxury, a thick towel.

We will be using three buildings—the Zeta Tau Alpha house, the Kappa Alpha Theta house, and West Hall (OK, the last one does not sound Greek-we'll have to make something up!). All three of these buildings are just a "Herme's blink" away from each other (if you have not figured out the Greek reference, they are all real close to each other). If you would like to see pictures of some of the accommodations go to the NVAA web site.

Please check in at the Zeta Tau Alpha house for room assignment (1845 SW Jewell Street). Each person will be assigned his or her own room. The bathrooms are shared between two or more bedrooms; the number of bedrooms per bathroom varies according to the building. We will assign people to rooms somewhat randomly, though we will intentionally not put people from the same organization in the same area. With this in mind, please do not ask to be placed next to a person from the same agency.

Most of you will be departing on Friday, but some may need to stay until Saturday morning due to transportation reasons. We will arrange for Friday night lodging, if necessary, at one of the buildings. No, you cannot stay just because it is cheap lodging for a vacation spot. We need to know if you need to stay over so you can be assigned to that building.

What About You?
One of the ways that we get to know each other is to share something about ourselves. We thought that it would be neat if everyone brought an item that says something about where they live. And, since this is all about sharing, the item needs to be something that you are willing to part with. Do not bring your favorite teddy bear—that is too personal and you wouldn't want to give it up. Instead, bring something like a hat, a shirt (recommend at least extra-large), or a coffee mug from your state, city, organization, local pro or college ball team, etc. Extra kudos if you can make the item connected to the Greek theme.

What About What You Do?
Washburn will serve as host to about fifty practitioners from a variety of different victim service organizations. It is great to have a visual sense about the organizations represented. Please bring a flyer or similar materials with your business card attached. The materials will be posted on a board so that everyone can view them throughout the week.

What To Wear?
Would you think from the tone of this letter that this will be very formal? Most of the Academy is very casual. Dress comfortably-no need to be fancy. Also, though it is hot outside, it may be cool inside, so you may want to dress in layers.

However, there is an exception to the casual rule and that exception is Friday. Friday is a big deal day-graduation. We will get all sorts of visitors that day so you have to look good.

There's No Place Like Home
It is very important that you plan to stay until the very end of the Academy. You will be required to stay on campus until the graduation is completed at 2:15 p.m. on Friday, June 23. For those who need to catch an airline flight that evening, we can arrange for chartered transportation to leave the University at about 3:00 p.m. and make a stop at each terminal at Kansas City International Airport. It is estimated that the cost of the charter will be about $10-$15 per person, depending on the number of persons taking part.

The Pursuit of Zeusless Trivia
Washburn University of Topeka will be your home for the week of June 23rd, so it is important that you get to know your home. Visit us through your local library or on the Web. Those who can correctly answer questions about Washburn, Topeka, and Kansas may win fabulous prizes!

Faculty Assistants
In addition to the Olympians of the victim assistance field who are serving as the on-site faculty this year, we also have our own version of the three Graces-the goddesses of splendor, mirth, and good cheer—from Greek mythology; only we prefer to call them Kris, Nancy, and Renee (faculty assistants at Washburn who are working at very low wages for the NVAA to ensure its success). A week or two before the Academy, you will receive a call from one of the faculty assistants. The call is simply a check-in to see if you have any questions. If you need to stay over on Friday night or want to take advantage of the charter transportation, you can let them know at that time.

On behalf of the NVAA faculty at Washburn, we want to express our gratitude to you for your dedication to the field and for your sacrifice of valuable time away from family and work during the Academy week. We know you will have a great experience, and we look forward to meeting you. If you have any questions between now and then, feel free to contact me, Tom Underwood, at 785-231-1010, extension 1242 or underwood@washburn.edu.

Thomas Underwood
NVAA Site Manager

PS: Don't forget your Academy Text!!!

APPENDIX C. OVC VIDEOTAPES FOR POSSIBLE USE AT NVAA

APPENDIX D. EGG DROP CHALLENGE

A GREEK TRAGEDY OF EGG-ATURATED PROPORTIONS:
PROTECTION OF THE EGGS OF INNOCENCE

Background
Once upon a time in the Greek mythological land of Yokeville, young eggs were being captured by Chicken-hawkanopus, the evil lord of the Village of Crackshell. Chicken-hawkanopus despised the eggs of Yokeville and would fly high in the sky to drop them to their splattered end. Hardboilizues, the god of Cholesterol, called upon his earthling son, Prince Eggbert—the Protector of All Things Fragile—to thwart Chicken-hawkanopus' dastardly deeds. Since he was afraid of heights, Prince Eggbert knew he could not fight Chicken-hawkanopus. What could he do to protect the innocent eggs?

Prince Eggbert called upon wise and caring victim advocates to help him develop devices that would protect the eggs from falls, thereby defeating the evil Chicken-hawkanopus. Thus, the egg drop challenge.

Purpose and Instructions
The purpose of this activity is for each mentoring group to work together to build a container that will protect a raw egg from breaking when it is dropped from a designated height (standing on a desk, from a first floor window, etc.). In addition to the egg, you will receive miscellaneous training materials (such as tape, string, paper, etc.) in the bag that accompanies these instructions.

While we want you to be as creative as possible to prevent the egg from breaking, there are a few rules for this activity:

• The egg must remain in its natural state. You may not blow out the egg, hard boil the egg, or alter it in any other way.
• You can use only the items included with these instructions to construct the protective container for your egg.
• You will be given one egg at the beginning of this activity. If it should break for any reason, you can get a second egg, but no more.
• Every member of your group must participate in this challenge.

Although the goal is for the egg not to break, some groups will fail miserably—thus aiding and abetting the evil Chicken-hawkanopus. However, in the spirit of Greek graciousness, the gods will also judge groups on the aesthetics of the container, the best use of materials, and the best drop.

Other than these rules, anything goes in your quest to help the good Prince Eggbert. Be creative and have fun