Hard to believe it is already October, but here we are. The campus is buzzing with students taking part in Fall activities and the Razorback football team win against Texas and Texas A&M! It’s a far cry from where we were this time last year. Campus is feeling a bit more normal with students attending in-person classes, families touring campus, and the division hosting numerous programs.
The Come As You Arkansas (CAYA) event was held Friday, Sept. 10, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the University of Arkansas. CAYA was a progressive day of events celebrating the University and showcasing some of the amazing things we have on campus, such as the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry, the Sand Hog machine that creates the names on Senior Walk, and the Center for Multicultural and Diversity Education, just to name a few. Participants also decorated Razorback cookies and took selfies with our big #uark150 letters. We have the story for you in photos and video.
The Division of Student Affairs communications team has been using social media to help share the great things going on in Student Affairs for about as long as the platforms have existed. From Facebook and Instagram and Twitter to TikTok, they use different apps to share with multiple audiences and often promote what others across campus are doing for students as well. One of the newest Instagram campaigns created by this team is sharing student’s personal stories about dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and why they chose to get vaccinated. Learn more about our social media in this story.
In our Q&As this issue we learn about some of our communications staff. Scott Flanagin is the executive director of communications for Student Affairs and has been in his role for nearly 16 years. His area is responsible for communications from the Division including our Social Media efforts. Our student profile this month is the graduate assistant who manages the Division’s social media accounts, Paige McGaughy. Paige has been working in communications for the Division since she was an undergraduate student.
Supporting our student veterans is something that comes natural to Charlie Kinslow. The U of A alum has hosted a welcome back to campus luncheon for student veterans in years past. This year COVID put a wrinkle on that plan, so he worked with VRIC to create a drop-in event called Cokes and Cookies, where veterans stopped by and grabbed a Coke and a cookie and were welcomed back to campus.
Thanks for checking out the October issue of the Student Affairs Bulletin. If you’re interested in more information about anything you see here, or have other story ideas, please email Scott Flanagin, executive director of communications at sflanagi@uark.edu.