February 28, 2006

Clue: The formal structure within an organization responsible for all the decisions, strategies, factors, principles, operations, practices, functions, activities and methods related to the management of people.

Answer: What is human resource management?

Springfield , OH -The ninth annual Ohio Human Resource (HR) Games were held in Cleveland the weekend of February 24-25, 2006 . Wittenberg Human Resource Management Association (WHRMA) and Springfield Human Resource Management Association (SHRMA) sponsored six management majors and minors at the games this year. The six seniors were divided into two teams: Sarah Bender '06 (captain), Andrea Rossow '06 , and Chelsea Williams '06 ; Bryan Heck '06 (captain), Christopher Pelfrey '06 , and Clint Pergram '06 .

"It was an invigorating experience that challenged us mentally," shared Heck. "The experience gained from this event will be very beneficial to our futures."

All of the participants are WHRMA members and have been preparing for the competition since last fall through weekly active practices with their advisor, Dr. Wendy Gradwohl . "I'm very proud of both teams. They committed time in their busy schedules to study and practice for this competition. With having two teams, they were able to scrimmage and challenge one another in a supportive atmosphere. I thoroughly enjoyed working with them, and I'll miss our practice time together."

An orientation dinner and networking opportunity took place Friday night before the actual competition on Saturday. Participants, assigned to small groups, were able to get to know each other. Human resource professionals answered student questions, explained their work experience, and gave advice on obtaining employment in the field of human resource management. "It was a great opportunity to meet other students and experienced professionals with the same management interests," explained Rossow. "We all learned a lot by listening to others talk about what inspired them to become interested in the field."

"Not having a human resources management major put us at a disadvantage, but we still held our own and competed better than last year," explained Bender. Wittenberg women placed 11 th , with the men following them with 12 th place. Wittenberg didn't walk out empty handed though. A collegiality contest was held during the games for the team that presented the best support and sportsmanship. As all Wittenberg students pride themselves on the closeness and support from their peers, Wittenberg 's participants won the contest and were presented with a plaque. Chelsea Williams stated, "If you can't win the games, you aim for collegiality! The other schools will remember us for our character and school spirit."

All six seniors knew that they needed to just have fun when it came to competing against other schools with HR majors. "It was a good combination of fun and education," claimed Pergram. Overall, the six Wittenberg participants were very glad they volunteered to demonstrate their knowledge and pride at such an event. "I really enjoyed the experience," shared Pelfry. "Not only did we develop better skills, but we developed important bonds that will last long after our college career!"

Sixteen teams competed this year, the largest number since the game's inception. Those schools included: Baldwin-Wallace (two teams), Bowling Green State University, Cleveland State (two teams), Miami University, Ohio State (two teams), Rhodes State (two teams), University of Akron, University of Toledo (two teams), and Wittenberg's two teams.

The HR Games Congeniality plaque takes its place in the awards case in the management department.

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