Interim Chancellor Charles Robinson recently spoke to a group of incoming first-year students and gave them five tips to help them succeed at the U of A. 

“You are going to have good days, and days that are not so good. If you develop the ability to pace yourself and handle the good and the not-so-good, you’ll find that you can stay here and be successful until the end,” Robinson told the group of students gathered in the classroom of the Multicultural Center. “Each and every single one of you can graduate, and each and every one of you should graduate!”

The students are part of the Academic Enrichment Program (AEP), which is a student success program designed to enhance the college experience of first-generation, low-income and other underrepresented students through advising, mentorship, student development opportunities, academic coaching and multiple learning experiences.

“It’s one of the happiest videos I’ve ever made, and you can’t watch it without smiling,” Shane White, the graduate assistant for video production at UA Productions, said after shooting “Smiles at the UofA”.

“Smiles of the UofA” was inspired by Shea Vaughan-Gabor’s 2015 video “You Are Beautiful”. DIYA (Diversity, Inclusion, and You) is an RSO dedicated to unifying students and celebrating diversity. After handing out positive messages during finals week last fall, DIYA wanted to do more. Dr. Meera Kumar, a professor in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media and the advisor of DIYA, worked in conjunction with UA Productions to bring “Smiles at the UofA” into reality.

“I wanted us to help create happy moments, moments of goodness, and a stronger feeling of community on campus,” Dr. Kumar said. “I just wanted the opportunity for my students to spread joy and do good things on campus to help bring people together and help them feel a part of a caring community, so, with the help of Shane and UA Productions, we made Smiles of the UofA, and it is beautiful! We hope it creates lots of joy and brings plenty of smiles to everyone’s faces.”

Check out the trailer for DELTA a documentary that explores the stories of three, first-generation college students Mae Pitman, Daniel Webster, and Kobee Jaramillo.

These three students are a part of a pilot program within the Division of Student Affairs called ASAP (Accelerate Student Achievement Program). ASAP’s goal is to help students from “26 counties in Eastern Arkansas who are students, who are the first from their family to attend college” the program’s leader Don Nix explained. Don’s goal is that every student from these counties is successful and finds a “family” here at the U of A. The 96 students of ASAP jokingly call him Papa Don, because of his caring attitude and weekly meetings with students, in which they talk about everything from personal to academic struggles.

Daniel Webster from Marion Arkansas wants to do it all. He’s in the band, studies political science, is active in ASG (Associated Student Government), and spends his weekends at church. As he moved into his dorm, he talked about how “Most of the people that are born in the Delta stay in the Delta”. He explains that this is the reason he has to “get out of Marion”. In high school, he succeeded in being a top student one of the best in his graduating class. Following his story, we see when high ambition is met with harsh reality.

Mae Pitman from Helena Arkansas wants to discover herself. She feels like the life she has lived in Helena has always been under a microscope. “I absolutely hated high school, because everybody is the same. In Helena, if you’re different, it’s like the end of the world and you’re completely judged.” For Mae, college is the first time she has had the freedom to truly express herself and question her own beliefs. Starting out she believes that her success is all about getting a degree but soon she finds it is so much more than that.

Kobee Jaramillo from Jonesboro Arkansas knows exactly what he wants; “to change the world.” As he takes book out of his boxes and organizes his desk he begins talking with ardent seriousness “I’m here at the U of A to get into architecture, architectural design and my eventual goal is to own my own firm go to a third world country and start making a difference there.” For him, everything is secondary to architecture, but as architecture continentally pushes him harder and harder, he finds that success isn’t only about making the grade.

Don described Mae, Daniel, and Kobee as “good examples of the kinds of energy and passion for what students are trying to do coming through ASAP.” Through this documentary, we see the entire range of highs and lows of the Freshman year. Big wins and losses, successes and failures, DELTA shows how all students grow and develop over the course of a year. Through this documentary we get to see the programs of the University of Arkansas helping students develop their skills, grow as people, and find themselves. Through their stories, we see student success is not just about numbers and metrics but a personal journey for each student.

A new video is now available to show members of the campus community how to respond if someone with a gun opens fire in a campus building. Part of the video is graphic and intended to provide a sense of what might happen in such a scenario.

“The active shooter video – Avoid, Deny Defend – was UA Production’s biggest production to date,” Henkel said. “The months of planning, script writing, and storyboard creation proved to be well worth the work. In order for the campus to take the message seriously our goal was to make the video as realistic as possible. We knew if it came across as cheesy it would not have the same impact.”

“The University of Arkansas Police Department was proud to work with the Division of Student Affairs on the creation of this video project,” Mills said. “The planning process was arduous but we wanted to make sure that the end product provides the information necessary to respond to an active shooter event on campus.”

Following inspiration from Michael Shainblum’s video, “Mirror City” UA Productions sought to showcase the University of Arkansas in a new way, adding mirror and kaleidoscope effects to timelapse video. “UofA Mirrored” gives you a whole new perspective of the University campus.

The Volunteer Action Center (VAC) student leadership board is made up of an Executive Team as well as five Signature Program Teams. The VAC Board works to support a network of student volunteers and local agencies through programs, events, resources, such as the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry and Givepulse, and bridging the gap between campus and community.

 Fun Fact: The VAC board members participate in more than 5120 hours of service each year with an economic impact of $120,627.

The VAC is housed in the Center for Community Engagement Office, A643, on the east side of the sixth floor in the Arkansas Student Union (above Au Bon Pain).