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NEWS
| October 13, 2004
Commemoration
UTA to celebrate its 109 years of
history
The second Founders Day celebration
will feature speeches and a pep rally.
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| The Shorthorn: File art |
| Criminal justice sophomore Martin Roberts,
Anna Lewis, Southern Methodist University environmental
engineering sophomore and criminal justice freshman Joseph
Cederstrom stand at attention during the Founders Day
celebration last year. |
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By Robert
Kleeman
Contributor to The Shorthorn
The university will celebrate its 109 year history with an event
organizers hope will encourage students to be more active in the
campus community.
The second Founders Day celebration will last from noon to 1:30
p.m. today on the Central Library mall. The event will feature a
pep rally and speeches about university history and traditions from
Student Congress President Casey Townsend, Jasmine Stewart, president
of student alumni association and President James Spaniolo. The
pep rally, which lasts from noon to 12:30 p.m., will feature the
UTA Marching Band, cheerleaders and Sam and Samantha Maverick. Pamphlets
with facts about the university’s history will also be available.
Kerri Ressl, Student Alumni Association development officer, said
the event was created to commemorate the founding of the university
and its rich history.
“A lot of people don’t realize we’ve been around
for 109 years,” she said. “Last year was the inaugural
event and it served its purpose. This year is about getting students
involved in the university.”
Free birthday cake, lemonade, commemorative coins, T-shirts and
university bumper stickers will be available at tomorrow’s
Founder’s Day celebration.
As part of the celebration, a historical photo exhibit of UTA will
be displayed at The Gallery in the University Center until Friday.
Ressl said the planning for the event was a collaboration of Student
Alumni Association, EX.C.E.L. Campus Activities, Spaniolo and UTA
ambassadors. Student Congress had also passed a resolution supporting
the event.
Public Affairs Director Donna Darovich said this campus is already
traditional.
“When I attended the university in the ’60s, I felt
like I was getting my education at a traditional university,”
she said. “We can add more housing and have more students
living on campus, but there’s a lot of students who commute
here who feel like they are attending a traditional university.”
Ressl said she hopes Founder’s Day will increase student awareness
of campus history. The event is a move toward making UTA a more
traditional campus, she said.
“We want our faculty and students to wear UTA apparel and
show their support,” she said. “UTA pride is fabulous,
but it can always use improvement.”
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