October is upon us and we are heading full swing into the semester with a record number of students on campus, including the largest first year class in the history of the University. This includes a record number of Arkansas students studying at the flagship as well, which is great and welcome news.
In this issue of the Bulletin we have a story, first printed in Arkansas magazine, about Shane White who is one of our Graduate Assistants in Student Affairs. White is a video producer, writer, and photographer in our communications area, and is working on his Doctorate in Agricultural Communications. White loves being behind the camera, shooting photos and videos He is a storyteller and has created several documentaries over the last few years. You have seen his work in photos, videos and stories in this publication. In fact, in this issue he covers the opening of the Tsa La Gi Bike Park.
The University community celebrated the opening of the new Mountain Bike Park a few weeks ago. The Tsa La Gi Bike Park is nestled in the trees behind the UREC Tennis Center located at 1357 W. Indian Trail off Martin Luther King Boulevard in Fayetteville. The park features three main trails with options to break away and choose your own adventure further from the hub. Green rated trails, and one Blue rated trail, offer riders the perfect space to progress and find success in their riding skills. During the celebration riders of all skill levels were able to participate in a big-air jump event, highlighting the park’s tallest feature.
The Division kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month with a First Friday event from the Multicultural Center. Students, staff and faculty gathered on the south terrace of the Arkansas Union for Latine First Friday put on by La Oficina Latina in the MC. Everyone had a wonderful time and learned more about Latine culture, had some refreshments and took some dancing lessons, and picked up Los Razorbacks t-shirts.
In our Q&As this month we hear from two people from the Multicultural Center. AnReckez Daniels, assistant director of multicultural programming & diversity initiatives, has been with the U of A and helping students succeed for the past five years. Daniels started in Student Affairs in the College Access Initiative and is now focusing much of his time on the black student experience, which gives him “undeniable joy.” Our student this month is Jarron Gray, who is pursuing his Bachelor of Arts in Teaching and is currently president of the Kappa Kappa Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Greek letter organization. Gray has plans to pursue his Master’s Degree in Higher Education when he graduates in Spring 2024.
And last, but certainly not least, the Center for Community Engagement has a new director with a familiar face. Claire Allison has been working with students in the CCE for the last decade. She is the perfect person to move CCE and it’s programs into the future, including moving into a new space in the Arkansas Union sometime this semester.
Thanks for checking out the October issue of the Student Affairs Bulletin. If you’re interested in more information about anything you’ve seen here, please email Scott Flanagin, executive director of communications at sflanagi@uark.edu.