Seeking fun and friendship? At UTA, there’s a group for you.
Standing outside in the August heat as a representative of the UTA Volunteers organization, Alexis McCain spread the gospel of community service to thousands of passing Mavericks.
“We help Mission Arlington, Habitat For Humanity, the Salvation Army, Sarah’s Bag Ladies and several other organizations with student volunteers,” said McCain, a junior in the School of Social Work. “We want students who want to help out nonprofits and other worthwhile groups.”
UTA Volunteers was one of more than 100 campus groups that set up tables and booths along the Library and University Center malls on Aug. 30 as part of Maverick Cookout and Activity Fair Day. Held at the start of each fall and spring semester, Activity Fair Day is a chance for University of Texas at Arlington student organizations, department and community agencies to showcase their services, interests and involvement opportunities to the campus community.
The event has been held since 1981 and is a prime opportunity for students to meet face-to-face with an array of campus and community representatives and expand their co-curricular involvement. Thousands of UTA students mingled and browsed among the displays, with UTA Radio broadcasting live from the event from an elevated stage.
One group, the Cybersecurity Club, promotes strengthening the understanding of cybersecurity strategies and tools for students interested in the field. One of its signature events is a Capture the Flag competition where every challenge is a cybersecurity scenario. The competition helps members sharpen their cyber skills and learn new ones while meeting new friends.
“As we come into a more digitized world, there will always be a need for cybersecurity,” said Brett Boggs, a junior software engineering major and vice president of the Cybersecurity Club. “As we move everything online, it is so important to secure information.”
Jeremiah Pitts, a junior double-majoring in software engineering and physics, said the cybersecurity field offers attractive employment opportunities for UTA graduates.
“We don’t have enough people to fill the cybersecurity positions out there, so it’s easy to get started in,” Pitts said.
Rebecca Few, a senior architecture major, represented the Delta Delta Delta sorority at the activity fair.
“We’re an organization that has been around since the 1880s and here at UTA since 1969,” Few said. “I can say that it is an organization of a lifetime. I’ve learned so much being a Tri Delt. I love it. It’s built leadership in me and provided philanthropic growth opportunities. It is a great sisterhood.”
Katie Rogers, a K-12 special education major, and Kat Hamilton, a junior in the Department of English, are two Mavericks who want to provide a community on campus for students with disabilities. Last year, they took the initiative to get Mavericks with Disabilities restarted on campus.
“This is a group of students with disabilities, and we are allies. Our goal is to be known as a safe community for Mavericks,” Rogers said.
Members of the Campus Cat Coalition provide food, veterinary care and adoption services for cats that roam the campus and neighborhood. Since 2019, members have helped 40 cats get adopted.
YUCCA Ultimate Frisbee is the first organization Mateo Rodriguez, a sophomore computer engineering major, joined when he came to UTA.
“YUCCA is about building camaraderie,” Rodriguez said. “I get to do something I really like, get help from my teammates and hang out with them. It's all a win-win for me.”
