AUGUST 25, 2021 — As the 2021-2022 school year begins, UTSA is making big plans to engage in community service beginning with Roadrunner Days. The week-long series of community projects finishes on Saturday, August 28, with several service projects taking place throughout the day.
Each Roadrunner Days service project focuses on an issue affecting the UTSA community, including hunger, environmental clean-up and campus beautification. Since all the events are outside, they will proceed as scheduled.
This school year, Leadership and Volunteer Services is also looking at opportunities to spread UTSA’s outreach beyond the Main Campus.
“With our Downtown Campus, we want to do more to support the community on the West Side and perhaps the East Side area as well,” said Victoria Rodriquez, program manager for UTSA Leadership and Volunteer Services. “We really want to do something that helps local families in the area, so we’ve been exploring partnering with organizations that specialize in that type of assistance.”
As an urban serving institution, volunteerism is one of the most impactful ways that UTSA serves the community. Roadrunners have a long legacy of giving back.
“We’re examining how we can create great relationships working alongside these campus partners that are our neighbors. We want to be more than the campus in the middle of downtown; we want to be good neighbors,” said Jessica Dawson, associate director for Leadership and Volunteer Services. “We have faculty, staff and students who help lead different projects around the city. Our latest push has been trying to get UTSA families or alumni involved as well.”
After a brief pandemic interruption, two Roadrunner volunteer traditions are scheduled to make a full comeback this academic year. Roadrunners Give Back is the lead event of the UTSA Homecoming schedule taking place on Sunday, October 10. School organizations and athletic teams, along with fraternity and sorority life groups, pitch in to make a difference through multiple projects that help people and beautify the community.
Then in spring 2021, UTSA’s Day of Service will go back to hosting multiple community service projects on the first Saturday in April. In 2021, Day of Service was spread out through April with a mix of virtual events and outdoor projects for smaller groups to promote social distancing. Hundreds of Roadrunners typically volunteer for Day of Service and organizers are looking forward to resuming this outreach under normal conditions.
Volunteer Organization Involving Community Education and Service (VOICES), one of the largest volunteer-based student organizations at UTSA, is also ramping up its involvement in the community. With well over 100 members, the organization extends the UTSA community service spirit year-round with outreach to various organizations throughout San Antonio.
In addition to its community service, VOICES students enjoy the camaraderie the club offers. While in-person meetings weren’t feasible during the pandemic, VOICES President Ethan Guerrero got students engaged through Zoom meetings.
“We had to find ways to keep the fire burning for a good cause,” Guerrero said. “At first, we didn’t know what we were going to do, but we wanted to keep it as fun as possible. We found ways, whether it was making cards for the children at San Antonio State Hospital or making dog toys for the animal shelter.”
VOICES is sponsoring a park clean-up at Fox Park Trailhead for its Roadrunner Days service project this Saturday, August 28 from 9 a.m. to noon. Registration for the service projects ends on Wednesday, August 25. To learn more about getting involved with VOICES, stop by its office in the H-E-B Student Union (HSU 1.216).
Faculty, staff, students and family members are encouraged to start the new school year off right and join the #BirdsWhoServe movement to make a difference.
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Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusJoin us for a tribute to Willie Velásquez, honoring the legacy of Willie Velásquez, a pivotal figure in shaping the history of Latino and Hispanic participation in the American voting process. Delve into his life and contributions as a champion of Latino voting rights. Moderated by UTSA's Teresa Niño, the event will feature influential voices, including Jane Velásquez, María Antonietta Berriozábal, Dora Oliva, and Anthony Gonzales.
Buena Vista Building, Gregory Luna Room, Downtown CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
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