{"id":36282,"date":"2025-02-24T09:02:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T17:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/ogrd\/?page_id=36282"},"modified":"2026-03-16T10:52:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T17:52:44","slug":"heartbreakers-party","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/ogrd\/heartbreakers-party\/","title":{"rendered":"Heartbreakers Party"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Save the date:<\/strong> Thursday, February 12, 2026, 1-4pm, OGRD Office (Showalter 210)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Way back in late 2023, a few members of OGRD were ruminating on reasons why faculty and staff were choosing not to submit and\/or re-apply to grant proposals. We came to the conclusion that many folks were stricken by overwhelming rejection (real, perceived, pre-emptive) and therefore choosing to self-select out from future grant-making. As Valentine\u2019s Day approached\u2014and some of us may or may not have been bitterly single or divorced\u2014there in a lonely office, we decided to re-claim February 14 as a day for all those prospective Principal Investigators\/Project Directors (PIs) who have been rejected, been ghosted, and remain lonely. OK, even those who have found their one true connection were invited, too. \ud83e\udd2e&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that\u2019s how the Heartbreakers Party \ud83d\udc94 began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What is the Heartbreakers Party?<\/strong><br>The Heartbreakers Party is a chance to acknowledge the invisible efforts by prospective PIs to pursue funding in support of their yet-unrealized dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Who may attend the Heartbreakers Party?<\/strong><br>Everyone! That includes folks who have:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Submitted a proposal but went unfunded \ud83d\udc94<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Submitted a proposal and have been ghosted (have not received a decision from the funder) \ud83d\udc7b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Yet to find a sponsor to submit a proposal to (the black hole of loneliness) \u26ab<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Been funded (found love) \u2764\ufe0f<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This is also a chance to meet the OGRD staff in person, learn more about proposal development and award management, and learn more about grant-making in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What happens at the Heartbreakers Party?<\/strong><br>Because there is no one-size-fits-all approach, each institution may customize their party to suit their interests and contexts. That said, EWU chooses to host a three-hour party where folks may drop in at any time. We decorate the office on a shoestring budget, choosing to use leftover red and pink paper\u2013and even filing folders\u2013to make hearts that stick on the walls.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In year 1, we had a reflection space for folks to ruminate over human emotions related to rejection; a pi\u00f1ata to get frustrations out; and refreshments that included blood, sweat, and tears, e.g., Eagle punch, sparkling cider, and water. Snacks included \u201creally salty\u201d pretzels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In year 2, we kept the same refreshments, but chose to change the interactive stations to include a \u201cWall of <s>Sh<\/s>Fame,\u201d which was a mini-poster session of all proposal submissions within the last 18 months that were either pending or unfunded. Additionally, we showcased the new award decisions. Finally, to encourage folks to attend, we raffled off a Lego set of roses to all party attendees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In both years, we asked attendees choose appropriate stickers to place on their nametags: broken heart, full heart, ghost, and black circle. Depending on their experiences, they may choose one or all of the stickers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/videos\/d\/1ayifmXjh6VC7-9QGYYzb6QmwccSx0K51lBXBI7dS4s8\/edit?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>View a photo collage of our Heartbreakers Parties here.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>May I adopt your idea?<\/strong><br>Absolutely! The Heartbreakers Party is meant to be shared and implemented in ways that work for your institution. For instance, in 2025 the University of Colorado Colorado Springs hosted \u201cGalentine\u2019s Day\u201d for their women\u2019s research group (a nod to the \u201cParks &amp; Recreation\u201d TV show). We welcome you to get creative and lean into the campy nature of the Heartbreakers Party initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Do you have any marketing materials to borrow?<\/strong><br><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/11q3BIkPUxylVgbj2EwktPQRByLgFUbEFyHtG4o2I8aI\/edit?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">View marketing blurbs here.<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Dissemination<\/strong><br>OGRD presented the Heartbreakers Party and the concept of rejection at the 2024 NCURA Region VI\/VII Meeting. <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/presentation\/d\/1-etoixUjFQn3L-LahbmJK7MZOqJna5of\/edit?usp=sharing&amp;ouid=118060495186562402309&amp;rtpof=true&amp;sd=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>View the PowerPoint slides here.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Contact<\/strong><br>Please do not hesitate to reach out to Christy Gilchrist (<a href=\"mailto:cgilchrist3@ewu.edu\">cgilchrist3@ewu.edu<\/a>) with any questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Save the date: Thursday, February 12, 2026, 1-4pm, OGRD Office (Showalter 210) Way back in late 2023, a few members of OGRD were ruminating on reasons why faculty and staff were choosing not to submit and\/or re-apply to grant proposals. We came to the conclusion that many folks were stricken by overwhelming rejection (real, perceived, &#8230; <a title=\"Heartbreakers Party\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/ogrd\/heartbreakers-party\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Heartbreakers Party\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44940,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"wpo365_audiences":[],"wpo365_private":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-36282","page","type-page","status-publish"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/ogrd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36282"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/ogrd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/ogrd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/ogrd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44940"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/ogrd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36282"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/ogrd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36744,"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/ogrd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36282\/revisions\/36744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/ogrd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}