User:Moeller.88/Ohio House of Representatives Page

Ohio House of Representatives Page

The Ohio House of Representatives (located in the Vern Riffe Center, Columbus OH) has a Page program for students interested in government and the State of Ohio. The number of Pages flucuates and there is not a set minimum or maximum. Pages are assigned to work for either the Majority or Minority, though the Majority employees many more Pages due to a larger staff of Representatives and work to be done. It is similar to the House of Representatives Page program in Washington D.C. with some noteable exceptions. The Page program is under the direction of the Page Coordinator who also serves as the Junior Staff Development Officer.

OHR Page History

The Page program began as an all-male program in the 1800s.

Changes during the 129th General Assembly

Beginning 2011 and the start of a new GA, the Page program has revamped, refreshed, and revived! Pages are required to clock in on time and are forbidden to do homework. With changes to the political environment, security has been increased and Pages are now responsible for assisting in keeping the House of Representatives a safe work environment.

Dress Code

OHR Pages must wear navy blazers, khaki dress pants or dress skirt, an ironed white button up, and the infamous OHR tie. Men must wear the red, white, and blue tie while women must wear a floppy bowtie of the same fabric. OHR Pages dress for success everyday. Pages must also wear comfortable dress shoes since they walk quite a bit, especially since the House of Representatives is located across the street from the Ohio Statehouse.

Application

OHR Pages are usually college students from area universities, including: The Ohio State University, Capital University, and Ohio Dominican University. Pages begin making an hourly wage of $7.35 with opportunity for promotion. After completing the Page application, the applicant can expect to interview with the Page Coordinator.

Positions

There are three different types of OHR Pages. Many begin as a PRC (Page Resource Center) Page. Here they complete many tasks including: deliver newspapers and inter-office mail, answering phone calls, organizing inventory, assisting with supply room, and making copies. Additionally, PRC Pages are the only Pages that attend House Session to assist with various tasks. Pages may also work as a Desk Page at the front desks on floors 10-13 in the Riffe Center and in the Clerk's Office. Desk Pages are in charge of lobby security, letting a Representative's office aware of the arrival of their appointment, assisting in constituent work, and refering vistors to their Representative's office. OHR Pages may also be further promoted to be a Constituent Aides. CAs are pages who are assigned to the office of a Representative, specifically one who also serves as Chairman of a committee. Their job is to assist with constituent work such as answering and sorting both emails and mail, answering the phone, taking messages, and scheduling meetings. They also work whichever committee their respective Representative chairs. During these they hand out testimony to each representative on the committee, assist with witness information forms, make copies, and assist in any other way needed.

Page Resource Center

The PRC is a newly refurbished office space for Pages to complete tasks and projects, answer phones, and assist in other OHR duties. In order to keep the peace, a PRC Chief has been established to oversee the various projects and tasks.

--Moeller.88 (talk) 19:27, 19 April 2011 (UTC)