1. Name: Chase Warren
Word Count: 439
Strategy: To entertain and slightly inform faculty, staff and students, thesignificance of theUPC to the University of Utah and
their goal to spreading diversity throughout campus.
The UPC may not have better Jambalaya soup than Seinfeld’s “Soup
Nazi” but he doesn’t have a recipe in that amour for an entire Mardi
Gras Celebration.
Walking into the Union Building on a boring Tuesday afternoon students are jolted
by the sound of a trumpet and muttered conversations resonating through the halls. A
steaming bowl of Jambalaya is next to the jazz band left of the stage. When inviting students
to attend the Mardi Gras Celebration in the Main Union Ballroom they assumed the
Jambalaya promised wouldn’t be sufficient to Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi,” then again he wasn’t
easy to please. Nevertheless, students were anxious for the event, not just for the soup but
also to embrace the Mardi Gras culture.
The Union Programming Council (UPC) is a group of inspired students specifically
chosen by administration. Their qualifications were determined by their level of desire to
boost student morale and diversity. The UPC is the heart of the Union Building and portrays
the image of a place to call home, where all students can come to take a break from
academics. Media Coordinator, Nicolette Barba explains the UPC is like “one big happy
family, we are always able to create a fun atmosphere and never loose focus on making our
organization shine.”
The pressures of student life can be agonizing no matter where you come from;
deadlines, group projects and extensive research are all examples of academic
responsibilities among students. The UPC’s Mardi Gras event last Tuesday is an example of
their capabilities to create a diverse event that students from all backgrounds would
attend. Nicolette Barba says “we recognize that not all students like the same things, so
variety in our events is absolutely necessary.”
The Mardi Gras Celebration is a culture the UPC found students can all connect with.
“We like to host a variety of events that cater to all sorts of students’ wants and desires,”
Barba explains smiling. One of the events the UPC featured in the past with diversity in
mind was Family Fright Fest, a Halloween festivity to reach out to families and bring them
together on campus. As the UPC confronts the new year they anticipate upcoming events
and the influence each one has on the accumulating diversity throughout the University of
Utah.
“The importance of diversity on campus is astronomic, students must feel
comfortable utilizing all facilities on campus and should not be discouraged because of
cultural difference between each other,” Barba explains. Continuing to implement diversity
when setting goals for upcoming events at the Union Building is essential to create the
environment the UPC strives to obtain. The Union Building is used as a vehicle for this
small group to promote diversity on campus and it is up to them and participating students
to establishing this precedent.
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