Student Life

Contemporary dance company Step Afrika! will perform at 7 p.m., Monday,  Feb. 23, in the Student Union, Room 340 D-I. The event, sponsored by the Campus Activities Board (CAB), is free and open to the public.

Founded in 1994, the dance company is the first professional ensemble dedicated to the tradition of stepping. It now ranks as one of the top 10 African American dance companies in the United States.

MetLife Foundation and UNC Charlotte announced a partnership to establish a “Women in Business” leadership program in the University’s Belk College of Business; the foundation contributed $100,000 to launch the initiative.

The website Best College Values has ranked UNC Charlotte’s Student Union at number six on its list of “30 Most Amazing Student Unions.”

In determining its compilation, the website examined architecture and exterior appeal, facilities, interior appeal and tradition when ranking student unions across the country.

The Charlotte-based LGBT arts, entertainment and news publication qnotes recently named Josh Burford, assistant director for sexual and gender diversity in the Multicultural Resource Center, as its “2014 Person of the Year.”

The recognition stemmed from Burford’s extensive campus and community involvement, and in particular, his outreach initiatives related to the establishment of a community LGBTQ historical archive in UNC Charlotte’s J. Murray Atkins Library Special Collections.

J. Scott Derrick, executive director of the Student Union and Cone University Center, is president-elect for the Association of College Unions International (ACUI); he will be installed formally in April at the organization’s annual conference in San Antonio, Texas.

“I am both honored and humbled to have been elected by my fellow ACUI colleagues as president-elect,” said Derrick. “To be trusted with this responsibility is something that I take very seriously.”

“Accumulations,” an exhibit featuring work by UNC Charlotte alumna Carmen Neely, will be displayed through Wednesday, Feb. 4, in the Student Union Art Gallery. A free reception with the artist will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 16.

According to the artist,“Accumulations” is the result of a new, more formalist approach to exploration in painting. Her earlier works focused predominately on references to the figure and have stemmed from ideologies about sexuality; Neely’s current compositions focus more intently on qualities of line and organic shape.

From childhood entrepreneur to corporate magnate, Johnny Cupcakes founder Johnny Earle will share the story of this success at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 27, in the Cone University Center, McKnight Hall.

In this free, public event, sponsored by the Campus Activities Board (CAB), attendees will learn methods for starting or growing a unique idea, business or passion with little to no start-up money.

National Urban League president Marc Morial will give the keynote speech for the University’s celebration of the life, work and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 20, in the Cone University Center, McKnight Hall.  

Morial’s free, public talk “Building Bridges Through Civility, Justice and Action” is sponsored by the UNC Charlotte Multicultural Resource Center. A community reception will follow in the Lucas Room.

UNC Charlotte students, faculty and staff members have stepped up to help save lives by participating in the “49ers 4 Life” blood drive. The sixth annual drive will be from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 20, at the Barnhardt Student Activity Center; organizers have set a goal of 950 pints.

A campus-wide event coordinated by a number of student organizations, the “49ers 4 Life” blood drive is held in conjunction with the American Red Cross.