Activities & Organizations
Being involved in campus life is a great way to enhance friendships, make new connections, and build a community on campus. Whether you are joining a club, connecting with friends through UArtist Pen Pals, participating in Emerging Leaders or helping to welcome students as a First Year Guide, there are multiple ways to make life-long connections. We have over 30 clubs and organizations, tons of events and activities that focus on many different areas of interest, leadership programs, student leader positions and so much more.
UArts is home to over 30 clubs and organizations that are just as creative as our students. There's something for everyone including visual arts, music, performing arts, advocacy and more.
Community Channels are virtual groups hosted by student leaders that bring people together based on common identities and shared interests. These groups will meet monthly throughout the semester and will get to know each other, discuss topics relating to their particular community channel and provide a supportive community.
To ensure the integrity of these spaces, we ask that you only join the channels if you identify as a member of that specific community.
We’ve listed our Community Channel offerings below. Find out when they meet by checking the Student Activities tile on the UArts App or watch for meeting announcements in the Keepin’ Up with Campus Life weekly emails.
Interest-Based Community Channels
Art and Activism
This Community Channel provides space for artists to engage in socially conscious discussions and share work that promotes activism. Join the conversation to hear the narratives of other artists and social justice statements in their work.
Astrology
This Community Channel will discuss all things astrology! Join the conversation to learn and discuss more about your signs and how they inform your personality.
Creative Collaborations
This Community Channel provides space for artists in different disciplines and majors to come together and collaborate. Join the conversation to extend your network across several different majors and brainstorm creative collaborative projects.
Class of 2021
This Community Channel will be available for our graduating seniors to connect, celebrate their accomplishments, and discuss resources available to them post-graduation.
Fitness
This Community Channel will discuss all things fitness! Join the conversation to learn more about virtual fitness classes, apps and other resources to help you with your fitness goals.
Food
This Community Channel will discuss all things food! Join the conversation to see easy food demonstrations and learn about our Philly favorites while making connections with other foodies!
Media Moments
This Community Channel provides space for students to discuss their current media interests. This includes podcasts, books, short stories, poetry, music and more! Join the conversation to share your current media moments and exchange with others!
Identity-Based Community Channels
Asian Pacific American/Asian Pacific Islander Students
This Community Channel provides space for students who are Asian Pacific American and Asian Pacific Islander. Join the conversation to discuss and celebrate racial/ethnic specific experiences while generating fellowship with others.
Black Students
This Community Channel provides space specifically for Black students. Join the conversation to share, discuss and celebrate lived experiences while establishing relationships with peers.
Faith-Based/Spirituality, 7 p.m. EDT
This Community Channel provides space for all faith-based and spiritual identities. Join the conversation to share and learn about others and available resources to affirm your practices.
First Generation College Students
This Community Channel provides space for students who are the first in their families to go to college. Join the conversation to share your own experiences and goals in an affirming and empowering environment.
Latinx Students
This Community Channel provides space specifically for Latinx students. Join the conversation to share, discuss and celebrate lived experiences while establishing relationships with peers.
Queer, Trans and Non-Binary Students
This Community Channel provides space for Queer, Trans and Non-Binary students. Join the conversation to learn about navigating UArts and LGBTQ+ resources while establishing relationships with peers.
Students with Disabilities
This Community Channel provides space for students with both invisible and visible disabilities to feel empowered and comfortable before arriving on campus. Join the conversation to meet other students, and learn about accommodations and accessibility resources.
Inquiring Minds is an interactive and educational series that facilitates challenging conversations surrounding topics of identity, diversity, inclusion, and intersectionality. Each session in the series provides a brave space where students can learn from peers, share their narratives, and become better advocates.
Take a look at our Inquiring Mind series for Fall 2020
Inquiring Minds: Identity Politics: Curse or Cure?
Thursday, September 3, 6:30pm via Zoom
In the current social climate, it’s nearly impossible to stray away from conversations about identity. Is this fixation on identity a curse or a cure? Join us for an Inquiring Minds session to explore identity politics' role in social justice movements and cast your opinion about its benefit.
Inquiring Minds: Latino, Latina, Latinx, Latine: Language Beyond the Binary.
Thursday, September 24, 6:30pm via Zoom
In recent years, inclusive alternatives of the word “Latino” have been increasingly adopted. But has this nod toward inclusion caused more controversy than compassion? Join us for an Inquiring Minds session to explore the impact of gendered language beyond the binary.
Inquiring Minds: Everyday Ableism: Advocating for Accessibility
Thursday, October 29, 6:30pm via Zoom
Ableism is so pervasive in our everyday lives that it can be difficult to notice. Without a heightened awareness of ableism, our advocacy surrounding accessibility is limited. Join us for an Inquiring Minds session to learn more about everyday ableism and ways you can transform your advocacy.
Inquiring Minds: The Circle of Life: Storytelling in Indigenous Cultures
Thursday, November 19, 6:30pm via Zoom
In many indigenous cultures, storytelling is their lifeline. Without storytelling, their history will be inaccurately remembered or erased all together. Join us for an Inquiring Minds session where we discuss storytelling as self-preservation in indigenous cultures.
Interested in leadership? Want to hone your own leadership skills? Take a look at the variety of programs that we offer to help you learn more about yourself, your leadership strengths and develop skills that will help you be more confident and successful in whatever you decide to pursue on or off campus.
Emerging Leaders
The Emerging Leaders program has two parts. Emerging Leaders is part one of the program and is an 8-week discussion and activity based program that invites you to learn about the five exemplary practices of leadership, explore your leadership strengths, and learn that leadership takes many different forms. Upon successful completion of the course, students receive a leadership certificate.
Emerging Leaders: Leadership in Practice
Graduates of Emerging Leaders are then invited to participate in Emerging Leaders: Leadership in Practice which is an 8-week program. Through this program, students are invited to put what they learned in Emerging Leaders into practice as they develop their own leadership projects. The course also takes a deeper dive into skills that are used by leaders like goal setting and conflict management. Graduates of this program receive a second leadership certificate.
Why Participate in the Emerging Leaders Program?
There are many reasons students participate in Emerging Leaders, and we ask students every year what they've gained from participating in the program, and they always cite the same few reasons. Participating helps them:
- Create community at UArts and expand their networks
- Learn from various perspectives and gain exposure to new ideas
- Build confidence
- See themselves as a leader and want to take on a leadership role at UArts
From our perspective, we host Emerging Leaders because studies have shown that the more involved a student is on campus, and the more they contribute to the campus community, the better they do academically, the more likely they are to graduate, and the more satisfied they are with their educational experience.
Our data shows that students who participate in Emerging Leaders have higher GPAs than the overall UArts GPA, are more likely to persist and graduate from UArts, and are much more likely to take on a student leader role such as Resident Assistant, First Year Guide, or Community Assistant.
Social Justice Leadership
The Social Justice Leadership program is an 8-week experience that empowers students to engage in socially conscious leadership as a means to promote equity and achieve justice.
Campus Life’s programming seeks to build community and create a sense of belonging among all students. Activities range from Open Mic nights to Tik Tok Challenges and Game Nights.
For fall 2020, Campus Life will host a variety of virtual programs. You’ll have opportunities to join alumni panels and learn something new from other students by following our UArtistry posts on Instagram Live. We’ll also host Majors Nights where we’ll create a virtual space for everyone in your major to gather and connect outside of class. Follow @UArts_CampusLife’s Instagram page to stay connected!
Sign up to participate in UArtist Pen Pals and be matched with other students at UArts. You can designate if you want to be matched based on similar interests, majors or hometowns. Then, we’ll connect you with someone so you can write each other notes, connect virtually and build friendships.
Overview
Get ready to get involved and explore UArts’ resources through the UArtist Challenge! Choose how you want to engage in life at UArts by completing challenges found in the UArts App under the UArtist Challenge tile. By completing these activities, you’ll build a solid structure for meaningful artistry at UArts. To help you navigate this process, choose activities to complete on the UArts App to earn points. The more points you earn, the bigger the swag you’ll receive at the end of the semester! Complete all four pillars by earning 200 points, and you’ll also be entered into a drawing to win Beats Studio 3 wireless headphones or an Apple iPad. We’ll be notifying students of the swag they’ve won on Friday, December 18, so be sure to earn all of your points prior to December 18.
UArtist Pillars
There are four main pillars that hold up the UArtist and help to provide a solid structure for meaningful artistry. Each of the pillars provides the needed support for a UArtist’s success throughout their time at UArts. Through the ways you choose to engage this semester, you’ll begin building and strengthening your pillars through creating a foundation of understanding of how to navigate a virtual UArts, utilizing resources for support, making connections with other UArtists and being a positive contributor to our community. Each activity is categorized as corresponding to one of the four UArtist pillars: Foundations, Support, Connections, and Contributor.
How It Works & Prizes
Earn points by completing activities listed on the UArtist Challenge tile. The more points you gather, the bigger the UArts swag you’ll get! Complete all four pillars and be entered to win Beats Studio 3 wireless headphones or an Apple iPad!
Complete Foundations Pillar (50 total points) = UArts Phone Wallet or UArts lanyard
Complete Connection Pillar (100 total points) = UArts beanie or UArts coffee mug
Complete Support Pillar (150 total points) = UArts fleece blanket or UArts fanny pack
Complete Contributor Pillar (200 total points) = UArts sweatshirt or UArts sweatpants + be entered to win Beats Studio 3 wireless headphones or an Apple iPad!
For the fall of 2020, make sure you’re staying connected and involved keeping up with what is happening virtually! Take a look at the ways you can stay informed about everything that’s happening virtually this fall at UArts.
Student Activities Tile on the UArts App
Head to the Student Activities tile on the UArts App to see a listing of all upcoming student events, including events hosted by clubs and organizations. There you’ll find a description of the event as well as the Google Meet or Zoom links for the event.
Don’t have the UArts App? You can download the UArts App by selecting one of these links:
After downloading the app, you will be prompted to enter your UArts email address, and then a verification code will be sent to your UArts email. Verification codes are valid for one hour (if you miss your code, you can generate a new verification code as needed). Enter the code, and then you’ll be registered as a user!
Keepin’ Up with Campus Life Emails
Every Monday throughout the fall semester, you’ll get an email in your inbox titled “Keepin’ Up with Campus Life.” There we will highlight all of the events happening that week, include links to registration forms and links to Zoom or Google Meet sessions. We’ll also advertise various opportunities for you to get involved or calls for artists.
Social Media
Follow @UArts_CampusLife on Instagram for reminders of upcoming events, highlights of events and more!
The Campus Life team is full of staff that are passionate about creating a welcoming community for all UArts students and strive to make the experience outside of the classroom memorable and impactful.
Have a question about how to get involved, start a club or org, or want to pitch an idea for a program? Email campuslife@uarts.edu to set up a meeting to discuss it!
Get to know the team
Kristen Burkett
Senior Director for Student Engagement
Kaitlin Manion
New Student Programming Coordinator
Jheri Wills
Diversity and Inclusion Programming Coordinator
Ryan Hopely
Campus & Commuter Life Coordinator
The Office of Campus Life as well as Residence Life and Community Standards have a few types of student leader positions. Each position has different roles and responsibilities and offers their own unique and rewarding experiences. Below is an overview of the positions:
- Community Advisors (CA) work with the Pre-College program over the summer to host programs for Pre-College residents and ensure students have a safe and enjoyable summer.
- First Year Guides (FYG) welcome new students into the UArts Community at New Student Orientation and assist with First Year Programs and UArts Day.
- Resident Assistants (RA) RAs support students who live in the residence halls throughout the school year by providing them with programs to help build community.
- Peer Mentors (PM) serve as a resource for first semester, first year students and take them to events at UArts and around the city.
Community Assistant
Community Assistants work with Residence Life and Community Standards and are student live-in staff members who serve as liaisons and resources within the campus community for the Pre-College students. The Community Assistant works with their residents and other residential staff members to create an environment in the residence halls that contributes to the social and cultural development of the members of the Pre-College community.
Hiring Process
Applications for the Community Assistant position are made available in early November and are emailed to students. In order to apply for the position, all applicants are required to attend an information session. Please see the Student Activities calendar for dates or email reslife@uarts.edu with questions.
First Year Guide
First Year Guides (FYGs) work for the Office of Campus Life and are responsible for helping to welcome our new students every year at Orientation. They are assigned a group of new students at the start of Orientation and it is their role to help ensure that these new students feel welcomed and get connected on campus. They reach out to their group throughout the semester and participate in First Year Student programming, as well as serve as UArts Day leaders and help to make UArts Day a success!
Hiring Process
The FYG application becomes available in the beginning of the spring semester and requires two references from staff, faculty, or other student leaders. Students will be emailed from Campus Life with the position description and application link. All qualified applicants are required to attend a group interview day in March as well as individual interviews. All applicants will be notified if they have been selected to serve as a FYG via email by the end of March. If you have any questions or want to learn more, please email Campus Life at campuslife@uarts.edu.
Resident Assistant
Resident Assistants (RAs work with the Residence Life and Community Standards office and are student live-in staff members who facilitate the development of the residence community, support the development of individual students, uphold the Code of Conduct, take a proactive role in maintaining safe residential facilities, take a broader leadership role within the University, participate in staff development and training, and perform administrative duties.
RAs positively shape the UArts’ on-campus living experience, while also enhancing their own leadership skills (including time management, interpersonal communication, budgeting, public speaking, and conflict mediation). Few campus employment opportunities provide students with the scope and depth of this position; RAs must be prepared for an incredibly rewarding and challenging experience where they can impact the lives of many students.
In line with these expectations, RAs' primary responsibilities are to build community among their residents and serve as a resource to the students living in their communities and in their residence hall. The residence life program depends on the strong performance of each staff member’s responsibilities and support of the overall team.
Hiring Process
Applications for the Resident Assistant position are made available in early November and are emailed to students. In order to apply for the position, all applicants are required to attend an information session. Please see the Student Activities calendar for dates or email reslife@uarts.edu with questions.
Peer Mentor
Peer Mentors work with the Office of Campus Life and are matched with two to three new first year students and serve as their mentor for their first semester at UArts. Mentors serve as a resource to their mentees, help to introduce their mentees to UArts and the Philadelphia community, and give mentees advice on how to navigate the university successfully.
Peer Mentors are required to take their mentees to various campus events to help their mentees get introduced to various aspects of life on campus and participate in programming exclusively designed for the Peer Mentor program. In addition, mentors will be given a stipend to do individual or small group activities with their mentee group!
Application Process
Interested in becoming a Peer Mentor? You must have completed Emerging Leaders or be a First Year Guide, Resident Assistant or Community Assistant to qualify to apply. Applications are made available in March every spring semester. If you have any questions or want to learn more, please email Campus Life at campuslife@uarts.edu.
