February was a short month, even in this Leap Year, but we had a lot of things going on, from events celebrating Black History Month to Student Affairs offices starting to relocate due to upcoming renovations in the Arkansas Union. Greek Life picked up numerous awards in February at the Southeastern Greek Leadership Association annual conference.
The Division of Student Affairs helped the entire University of Arkansas celebrate Black History Month by hosting several events throughout February. The Multicultural Center kicked off the month with a First Friday celebration for Silas Hunt Day on Feb. 2. The MC opened a new gallery show called Blue Magic: Illuminating Black Hair at the University of Arkansas, which featured photos of U of A students, faculty, and staff. The Dallas Black Dance Theater: ENCORE! performed at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center. The Distinguished Lecture’s Committee capped off the Black History Month celebration by bringing in Dr. Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, for a moderated question and answer.
The Arkansas Union has upcoming renovation projects that will have major impacts on student-facing spaces. Starting this month there will be two construction projects in the Union that will help make spaces better for students and visitors. The Multicultural Center on the fourth floor and the student engagement suite on the A6 floor will both be offline for the rest of this year to update spaces that will provide better services to the campus. Offices are already beginning to relocate and will be operating in temporary spaces until January 2025. This is a very exciting project that has had a lot of planning and student input.
Our Q&As this issue feature a staff and student working in the Arkansas Union who help take care of event and technical needs for those utilizing the building. Nigel York is the assistant director of event services in the Arkansas Union and has an extensive background as an audio technician. He has brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Union’s technical and event areas. Luciana Rojas is a junior studying hospitality management and works in the Union as an events intern. She enjoys her job and says she is studying exactly what she loves doing and being able to put it to work for customers in the Union.
We are always proud when our students are recognized for their success, but it’s extremely satisfying for an entire student community of 9,200 to win an award. Arkansas Greek Life was recently named Community of the Year at the Southeastern Greek Leadership Association annual conference in Atlanta. This was not the only accolades won by U of A Greek organizations at the conference. The Panhellenic Council, Interfraternity Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and United Greek Council all won awards.
Thanks for checking out the March issue of Student Affairs Bulletin. If you would like more information on anything you see here, please email Scott Flanagin, executive director of communications at sflanagi@uark.edu.