The begins of the Cardinal Chapter started back in the 1999-2000 school year.  Brian Langenfeld who was then a sophomore had heard of NRHH and wanted to find out more.  He enlisted the help of Pete Hakes and began the preliminary stages of starting to set up a chapter. 
    As the 2000-2001 school year began, Brian, then a junior, enlisted the help of Brett Gray and Vanessa Cardinale, both sophomores, to help him write a constitution and become an affiliated chapter.  They were soon joined by Joe Wyborski and became affiliated with the National Office by the end of the Fall 2000 semester.
    By working with the Office of Residential Life and the Resident Student Association, the brand new chapter searched for its first members to induct in January of 2001.  They included an executive board of junior Brian Langenfeld, sophomores Brett Gray and Vanessa Cardinale, and senior Joe Wyborski along with seniors Lisa Middendorf and Aubree McMahon and juniors Marney Buss and Rob Gilmore.
    At this time the chapter was not very active.  They were more focused on getting a strong group of members and making themselves known on campus.  Therefore, they used the semester to strengthen the chapter fundamentally and then held another membership drive in April of 2001.  This saw junior Jessica Myers and sophomores Connie Peppes and Lisa Havas inducted as Joe, Lisa, and Aubree graduated.
    The following semester the chapter began to participate in the OTM process and found themselves growing quite rapidly, becoming one of the up and coming chapters in the NEACURH region.  They continued to induct new members, four in the fall of 2001--senior Jessica Morse, juniors Jason Marsherall and Matt Lake, and sophomore Kara Race.  This year, the chapter also won an RBD choice award for "Building Block Chapter of the Year" at the Mini No Frills conference at Sacred Heart University. 
    This honor set the stage for the continued growth of the Cardinal Chapter.  That April, the Chapter saw its largest induction year to date with 6 new members joining the ranks-- junior Megan Risko, sophomores Stephanie Sodeman and Brian Connor, and freshmen Nancy Farrell, Josh Harris, and Aaron Schmitt. 
    The following month the Chapter had one of its founding members, Brett Gray, chosen to serve as the AD of NRHH for the NEACURH region

    In 1964, the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH), Inc. found itself with financial difficulties. Jim Tschechtelin, NACURH Chair, began investigating possibilities for potential revenue sources and grants. Grants were found, but there were two requirements: a central NACURH office had to be established, and the member schools needed more services rendered. Thus, the National Residence Hall Honorary was put forth as an answer to the second requirement.
        During the preliminary organization, the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) focused on the incorporation of old into new. Campuses with existing honorary organizations were contacted and coordinated into the NRHH structure. The preservation of chapter identity was primary, as it was incorporated into the NRHH structure, and as each campus is aware of its own individual needs. The primary focus of each chapter became the recognition of the residence hall leaders on its campus. this helped sustain a consistent membership in on-campus organizations as well as on the regional and national levels within NACURH.
        The years between 1977 and 1987 were years of growth for the NRHH. Pins and certificates were produced to recognize the members of the Honorary, the tradition of regional and national receptions during conferences began and formal recruitment and affiliation packets were produced. Regional Recruiter (now called Associate Directors) positions on regional boards were also established. Many awards were established including Program, National Communications Coordinator, Advisor, Student, and Resident Assistant Of The Month Awards as well as Outstanding Chapter of the Year.
        Today, over 180 chapters are affiliated with the National Residence Hall Honorary National Office. Activities of the chapters vary from campus to campus. Some simply induct new members at an annual recognition banquet this year, thus, an honorary chapter. Others are extremely active on their campuses and in their communities, coordinating leadership retreats, conferences, socials, hall or campus wide programs, fund raisers, and a whole host of other events. Still others have found a middle ground which suits their campus. Membership selection is conducted by each individual chapter. The chapter members represent the top 1% of the student leaders on campus and are those who have contributed extraordinary amounts of personal time and energy in order to make the residence halls more than a "dorm."