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NEWS
| October 9, 2003
Student Life
Campus celebrates 108th birthday
Founders Day organizers say they
hope the event becomes tradition.
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| The Shorthorn: Suzanne Countryman |
| Criminal justice sophomore Martin Roberts,
left, Anna Lewis, an environmental engineering sophomore
at Southern Methodist University, and criminal justice
freshman Joseph Cederstrom stand at attention during the
Founders Day celebration Wednesday on the University Center
mall. |
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By Rajal
Vashisht
The Shorthorn staff
The UTA Band kicked off the first Founders Day on the University
Center mall Wednesday.
The campus community gathered to pay tribute to the university’s
heritage and traditions while celebrating the university’s
108th birthday just before noon.
Speakers, including Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck and Student Congress
President Josh Warren, addressed an audience of about 150 on UTA’s
impact on the community.
“My pride in UTA brings me here,” said Dr. Cluck. “If
I could, I would be at UTA all day and spend time just talking to
the students.”
The crowd was treated to free birthday cake and punch, and UTA Ambassadors
led campus tours focusing on the institution’s history. Preparations
for the first event of its kind began several months ago, Warren
said.
“Founders Day is a chance for two things: Remembering and
honoring our founders and for current leaders to remember that just
as our founders’ actions influenced the past 108 years, their
actions now will affect the next 108 years,” he said.
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| The Shorthorn: Suzanne Countryman |
| Music education junior Daniel Taylor
plays the French horn to music from Cirque du Soleil as
part of the Founders Day celebration Wednesday afternoon
on the University Center mall. |
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Army Lt. Col. Adam Levitt spoke to the audience
first and offered listeners information that has been passed down
through the Reserve Officer Training Corps members since the organization’s
start on campus in 1902. Through the years, he said, cadets have
added their thoughts to the speech, generally after every major
U.S. war. Listeners had a glimpse into the hearts and minds of several
generations of UTA’s cadets, Levitt said.
“ROTC, since its inception, has been closely tied with the
university,” he said. “That’s why we’re
part of its foundation.”
Tour guides offered tidbits about the changes the campus has seen.
Daniel Kauth, former Alumni Association president, volunteered at
the event and shared memories of his time on campus.
“The campus has probably tripled in size since I was here,”
he said. “And parking was just as bad then as it is now.”
Event organizers hope the celebration will be an annual event.
“It’s a special day for UTA and for the city because
of great leaders who laid the foundation for our future great leaders,”
Cluck said.
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