The heart grows fonder at UHCL

Ashley Tobar

The Signal Staff

This fall, the University of Houston-Clear Lake Office of Student Life invites all students, faculty and staff to participate in the first annual I Heart UHCL Day: “Don’t hide your pride” event Wednesday, Oct. 7.

The event will be hosted inside the university as well as the surrounding campus grounds. Everyone at the university is encouraged to wear UHCL shirts or blue and green that day to show their school pride.

“Students will find different booths and activities throughout the Student Services Building and the Bayou Building throughout the day,” said Allison Scahill, coordinator of student life activities and organizations. “Student organizations that are sponsoring events and activities, various offices and departments will be there, and a few surprise events students can look forward to. We will have some giveaways, and we’ve ordered a limited number of ‘I Heart UHCL’ t-shirts that students can win.”

In addition, a cookout/picnic will be held at the end of the day. There will be Wii Rockband, karaoke, music entertainment, and an essay contest.

“We want to show everyone on campus that we’re proud of who we are as a university,” Scahill said.  One thing we did to prepare for the event was to ask students who walked through the Student Organization Expo on Sept. 2 to write down what it is they love about UHCL. We received 471 responses from students, staff and faculty.”

Scahill is very passionate about the event and her goal is to encourage a sense of pride within the university community.

“It was amazing to read through these responses and learn the stories of how people here have made UHCL a second home,” Scahill said.  “This really is an amazing place and I want to remind the campus community of that. The responses will be displayed around campus throughout the week of the event.”

The event was inspired by other school-spirited activities and Scahill, along with other staff in The Office of Student Life, finally found a suitable title for this new event. Andrew Reitberger, assistant director of student life, came up with the name “I Heart UHCL Day.” Scahill said that she loved the name because there were so many ideas and details that could come from the event and name. The Office of Student Life wants everyone to get on board and participate.

“It’s a great time for students to experience what is so great and fun about the university they attend,” Scahill said. “It’s a great opportunity to show pride.”

“We hope to give students a chance to express school spirit while participating in fun activities and getting to know other students,” stated Ashley Cannon, graduate assistant of activities and student organizations. “Everyone should stop by and let us know why they heart UHCL.”

Activities will be going on from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7. I Heart UHCL Day is sponsored by The Office of Student Life and will be located throughout the Student Services Building and the Bayou Building. For further information, contact The Office of Student Life at 281-283-2560 or StudentLife@uhcl.edu.