We observed Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 10 with an open mic for Indigenous speakers and a walk from the Arkansas Union to the Trail of Tears marker on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The marker commemorates the site where the “Benge Detachment” of Cherokees camped while taking what became known as the Trail of Tears in 1839.
This site was memorialized by former Director of Women’s Athletics Bev Lewis when she built the current soccer field. Bev, affiliated with the Chippewa Tribe, understood the importance of marking the Trail of Tears and its proximity to our campus. She relays that it is great to see the campus gathering to remember. About 50 people took part in the event, which is one of the longest running celebrations of Indigenous Peoples Day in the entire country. We have a story with some photos and a video of the event in this issue.
Make A Difference Day is the largest day of service for students on our campus, and the event was back in full form this October. The Volunteer Action Center in the Center for Community Engagement had more than 700 students come out for a day of volunteer project across campus and Northwest Arkansas. These students worked hard for a total of 1,532 volunteer hours, creating an economic impact of more than $45,000.
In our Q&As this month we feature two people who work in University Housing. Billy Blount is the director of Administrative Services for University Housing and has been at the U of A for more than 9 years. Blount and his team handle a lot – contracting, assignments, summer conferences, Greek houses, move-in/move-out logistics, marketing, strategic communications, and so much more. When he is not working he loves spending time with his family and coaching his kids’ sports teams. Becca Acuff is a Senior in the Walton College of Business who works in Housing with incoming first year students. She will graduate in May and hopes to get a job in human resources because she loves working with people and supporting a team!
Our students requested to camp out before the home football game against the University Alabama. It’s a tradition that hasn’t been practiced in a few years but at one point was a fairly normal occurrence on campus for at least one home football game. The entire campus was buzzing with excitement before playing then No. 3 Alabama at home. Students brought tents and chairs and lined Stadium Drive the Friday before the game. There were more than 150 tents registered and at least one student had to always remain with the tent. The game did not turn out in Arkansas’ favor, but the students experienced a wonderful tradition they will likely talk about for many years.
Thanks for checking out the November issue of the Student Affairs Bulletin. If you’re interested in more information about anything you see here, or have story ideas, please email Scott Flanagin, executive director of communications at sflanagi@uark.edu.