September 11, 2024

Student Centers Host Several Events for Weeks of Welcome

The UH Division of Student Life hosted several events at the Student Centers during the Weeks of Welcome to help students rekindle the Cougar spirit, such as the Student Centers Welcome Back, CougarCon, Cat’s Back, and Shasta’s Open House. These events featured various activities to rekindle the spirit of UH and offered many free food and raffle prizes.

The Student Centers Welcome Back was an opportunity to discover the different services provided by the Student Center, incentivized through stamp cards that needed to be stamped in the five different locations that the Student Centers provide, which helped students familiarize themselves with the staff and the services offered. 

CougarCon, which happened later the same day, is an annual convention that features anime, cosplay competitions, board game and video game stations, and different student vendors ranging from UH organizations to artists selling their work. The organizations stationed at CougarCon helped students find their interests, and the diversity of student vendors gave them an abundance of options to browse. 

Cat’s Back was a two-day event that welcomed new and returning students to different organizations with various interests and hobbies that every student could enjoy. Along with free food, students could participate in various activities, win prizes, make new friends, or get to know students of the same major or organization. 

“I was excited to see a bunch of new and familiar faces when I tabled at Cat’s Back. It felt great to share about the exciting events my org. had planned, and people are showing so much excitement for it.” said Angelo Dulce, a student and member of InterVarsity.

Lastly, Shasta’s Open House was another two-day event that allowed students to travel through the campus, discover dozens of departments and colleges, and obtain freebies. With the objective being to visit as many stops as possible, many students were able to get more prizes the more they traveled the UH campus. This event was an opportunity for new students to become familiar with the campus and discover new and hidden locations for those returning for another year.

Along with these events, the Weeks of Welcome hosted many other events to help bring in the Cougar spirit as classes began. Some of these events included Party in the Park, Glow Party, Cage Rage, Cultural Taste of Houston, Rec Fest, and many more. Cage Rage in particular has always been popular among students, as it includes music (this year from DJ Yobi Yobz), games, selfie stations, and much more. Many students enjoy this event for its UH Spirit and the UH Football team.

“I liked the atmosphere when I was at the Glow Party,” said Salvador Gonzales, a junior student at UH. “You could only see others by the light reflection of the glow sticks. Very demure.”

Harris County Student Art Displayed in Student Centers

In late April of 2024, the University of Houston Student Centers partnered with the Harris County Department of Education to display high school students art.

“Harris County Department of Education is a unique, educational entity that serves school districts, government agencies, nonprofits, and the public in the third-largest county in the U.S,” said Katona Meyers, Events Specialist for Harris County.

With several different mediums on display, the art was exhibited on the first floor of the Student Center south and viewers had the option to scan a QR code for more information on how to purchase their favorite piece.

“For 100 years, the Awards, presented by the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, have identified the early promise of some of our nation’s most accomplished visionaries and encouraged young artists and writers to pursue a variety of creative career paths and endeavors,” Meyers continued. “In 2021, students across America entered nearly 230,000 original works in 28 different categories of art and writing.”

For more information about this display and the Student Centers Art Board, please contact Eve Esch, Executive Director of the Student Centers, at emesch@central.uh.edu.

May 20, 2024

SEC Student Union Directors Meet at UH

The University of Houston Student Centers were excited to host staff from several Southeastern Conference (SEC) universities for a visit to campus May 19 – 21, 2024. The staff members in attendance mainly work in student centers and student unions, and get together annually to discuss best practices, relevant regional updates and have strategic conversations about addressing current & future issues in the field. Schools represented this year were: University of Arkansas, University of Kentucky, Louisiana State University, University of Missouri, University of South Carolina, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Texas and Texas A&M University.

“It was an honor to host colleagues from so many other schools and showcase all the wonderful things about the University of Houston,” said Eve Esch, executive director of UH Student Centers. The visitors stayed at the Hilton hotel on campus and met in the Student Center South. They also had the opportunity to enjoy some of Houston’s wonderful cuisine.

“The University of Houston staff were such great hosts to showcase their campus and city. We are so thankful for their time and support as we work collectively to identify ways to improve student success on our own campuses,” said Dwayne Isaacs, senior director of the Reitz Union at the University of Florida.

April 26, 2024

University of Houston Celebrates Earth Week

The University of Houston hosted several campus events to celebrate Earth Week (April 22 - 26). Several departments, including the Student Centers, came together to make this week a success. A new university goal is to improve awareness of sustainability and educate the community on efforts to use our resources more responsibly.  

Earth Week events included a plate waste audit, a lunch and learn, an e-waste drive, plus several others. Student, faculty, and staff participation was highly encouraged.

“I recognize sustainability in almost every part of our daily lives, and I am hoping our Earth Week Events reflected that,” said sustainability coordinator Beatrix Madersbacher Edie. “We partnered with student organizations and multiple staff partners to create events that students feel a connection to (Student Center, UH Dining, Center for Student Empowerment, UH Horticulture Society). Our office goal was to inform students of the university's efforts and invite them to participate with thoughts on what they find important and what we can potentially look at.”

During the plate waste audit, 204.9 pounds of food waste was collected in Cougar Woods Dining Commons over a 3-hour period. Zero Waste Houston, UH Dining Services’ compost provider, will turn the waste into 67 pounds of compost which will stop 530 pounds of CO2 from entering the Earth’s atmosphere. The e-waste drive called for old electronics and wires to be recycled. Two pallets of e-waste was collected.

The Sustainability Lunch and Learn on Monday, April 22, was the last of a semester-long program conducted by Eve Esch, the Student Centers executive director. These lunch and learns bring farmers, educators, and activists to the Multipurpose Room of the Student Center South for a presentation around their respective sustainability initiatives. For Earth Week, Esch invited a UH Downtown alumni to discuss the importance of microgreens.

“I enjoyed learning about the nutritional benefits of microgreens and the hydroponic systems they use for growing their greens,” said Bridget Portier, associate director of the Student Centers. “They grow all of the greens indoors in a controlled environment where they can use minimal water.  They also sell microgreen growing kits, which I am considering purchasing to grow my own microgreens in my kitchen.”

In addition to the Earth Week events, the University of Houston has an official Office of Sustainability and a Campus Sustainability Committee that works year-round. For more information on the Office of Sustainability, please contact Beatrix Madersbacher Eide at blmaders@central.uh.edu. For more information on the Campus Sustainability Committee, please contact Eve Esch at emesch@central.uh.edu.

March 28, 2024

UH Student Recognized at Annual Conference 

Sarah Khan of Kolkata, India, a junior journalism major and marketing minor at University of Houston has been awarded the 2024 C. Richard Scott Memorial Scholarship by the ACUI Awards Committee.

"I’m so grateful to the Student Centers and the Center for Student Involvement for providing me such amazing opportunities to learn and grow in this field,” Kahn said. “From my first UH award at Campus Leaders Awards Ceremony to my first National award it’s been a long journey and none of it would have been possible without their love and support."

The C. Richard Scott Memorial Scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students that take on leadership and involvement duties on their campus. Recipients will be able to participate in an ACUI-sponsored educational activity to network with mentors and peers, learn more about the profession, and take part in leadership and community development activities.

In addition to her studies at University of Houston, Khan serves as the director of the Council for Cultural Affairs and chair of the Student Center Policy Board.

After graduation from the University of Houston, Khan hopes to pursue a career in Student Affairs or her master’s degree in higher education.

For more information on this award and ACUI, contact Eve Esch, Executive Director of the Student Centers, at emesch@central.uh.edu.

February 7, 2024

I Heart My Student Centers

On February 7, the Student Centers welcomed over 290 students to the Ballroom for the annual I Heart My Student Centers celebration! Students enjoyed several Valentine's Day themed activities like make-your-own Valentine's Day cards designed by Creation Station, and personalized, heart-shaped keychains from the vendor Art and Fun. The Center for Student Media provided a DJ and there was dancing throughout the afternoon. Staff members came together with smiles on their faces to volunteer and provide a fun atmosphere for the event. 

For more information on Student Centers events, please contact Erin Woods, Assistant Director of Marketing, at ewoods4@central.uh.edu.

September 29, 2023

Sustainability Lunch and Learn

The Student Centers hosted their first Lunch and Learn of the semester on Thursday, September 28 in the Student Center South Multipurpose Room. The featured guest was Jessica Haney with the Cougar Cupboard, and a farm-to-table lunch from The Dish Society was provided.

The Cougar Cupboard, in partnership with the Houston Food Bank, addresses the food needs of students and works to combat food insecurity by providing a service that acts like a grocery store. Enrolled students can receive up to 30 pounds of groceries every week. Good nutrition is an important key to academic success and the University of Houston wants students to be successful.

“I’m really glad there’s more awareness around food insecurity” said Jessica Haney, program manager of the Cougar Cupboard. “Having this program at the university helps students get their education and improve their financial station. There aren’t a lot of requirements or qualifications to join this program and that’s important to us because that can reduce access. Our only requirement is to be a current UH student and then enroll into the Cougar Cupboard program.”

Food distributions are every Friday this fall semester from 10:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. at the Student Center South Circle Drive, by appointment only. A new, larger space in the Lofts is anticipated to open in the spring and their hope is to provide daily services.

If you would like to donate to the Cougar Cupboard, please text "Cupboard" to 71-777. For more information, email uhcupbrd@cougarnet.uh.edu and visit the Center for Student Advocacy and Community website at uh.edu/csac.

The next Student Center Sustainability Lunch and Learn will be at noon on October 24 in the Multipurpose Room.