UAC gets crafty

Troy’s University Activities Council (UAC) held an arts and crafts night last Wednesday, where students came together to assemble small paper crafts with friends and potentially make new ones. 

“The inspiration was the little goal punch cards that people have been making on TikTok,” said Mallory Morris, a sophomore graphic design major from Hoover, Alabama. Morris also serves as UAC’s graphic design chair. “We had a free week this week, and our advisor saw this trend on TikTok.  

“We thought it’d be a fun little stress-relief event.” 

The punch cards in question are little squares of paper with symbols on them. Similar to a rewards card for a business, a symbol is hole-punched every time a goal is achieved. Then, once the card is filled out, one can “redeem” it for a reward of some kind. 

“I recently took up cross-stitch as a hobby,” said Gracie Stokes, a freshman entrepreneurship major from Wetumpka, Alabama. “I’m going to put cross-stitching on one of mine and reading on another.” 

Along with the paper, UAC provided stickers, colored pencils and stamps for decoration. The original intent was for students to make these punch cards to set goals for the rest of the year. However, the event was open to any paper craft that could be made with the given materials, such as bookmarks. 

UAC offers events like these with the intent of students meeting new people and fostering community. All students are allowed at UAC events so members offer opportunities to meet all kinds of people on campus. 

“I think it’s really important to provide these events in order to make Troy feel more like home and bring together a community,” Morris said. “Crafting encourages them to talk about what they’re making, so if they’re sitting at a table with someone they haven’t met, they can learn a lot about that other person just through that.” 

“UAC makes it easier to meet new people,” said Faith McCaigh, a freshman social science major from Huntsville, Alabama. “I like to just be able to show up and meet somebody new.  

“It gives a good environment to meet new people.”  

UAC holds events every Wednesday for students to attend, ranging in sizes. The craft night was one of the smaller events, but the organization regularly has big events such as silent discos and movie nights. The next big event will be a casino night themed dance on April 22 in collaboration with 101 E.L.I.T.E. Men, M.I.S.S. Elite Society, Humble Hearts and International Student Services. The dance will include formal wear and free dinner.  

Those interested in getting involved with the organization are welcome to attend the meetings held every Monday at 5 p.m. in room 119 of the Trojan Center. Follow @troyuac on Instagram for more updates.