All Roads Lead to the Union: Newsletter
Every Journey Has A Story
On Wednesday, September 27th, 2017 145 delegates from various institutions of higher education descended upon the University of Utah A. Ray Olpin Union to attend the Region IV ACUI (Association of College Unions International) Conference. The Association of College Unions International is an organization that supports student unions and professionals who work within them to build campus community, challenge and support student leaders, and share best practices to foster diversity and inclusion. Over the span of three days conference attendees were able to explore the greater Salt Lake City area and the University of Utah through guided tours, sunrise hikes, and educational sessions. The theme of this year’s conference was “Every Journey Has A Story”.
On Wednesday night, the conference kicked off with a warm welcome from the Conference Planning Team and keynote speaker Dr. Marco Barker, Associate Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer and Consultant at Westminster College. Dr. Barker challenged attendees to think critically about the role they play in building and fostering community at their home institutions. Lance Allred, a former member of the University of Utah basketball team, was an inspiring keynote speaker as well. In conjunction with ACUI, the Union Programming Council welcomed Allred to campus on Thursday to converse and mingle with conference attendees and University of Utah community members. Allred spoke extensively about a milestone in his life which was becoming the first deaf player in the NBA. Allred provided the audience with key tools on how to become a leader and champion. On the last day of the conference closing remarks were made by the leadership team of Region IV as well as the University of Utah’s Dean of Students, Dr. Lori McDonald.
Conference attendees raved about after dark activities such as karaoke and bowling hosted by the Union’s Crimson Commons staff as well as the food service provided by University of Utah’s Dining Services. The A. Ray Olpin University Union Administration Staff would like to thank everyone who attended and assisted in making this year’s conference a success!
