Winter may not be here, but cold weather has already arrived, leaving students to face the chilly outdoors as they trek across campus.
That is why the UCA College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences hosted a warm clothing drive in the Ronnie Williams Student Center on Nov. 14 to help keep Bears warm and cozy this winter.
Senior Jacan Earnest said the drive was helpful because warmer clothes like jeans and coats are “generally more expensive.”
“I am one of the less fortunate students. I don’t have as much financial support from my family because I am from a very non-privileged background,” Earnest said. “So, getting something like this where I can come and get clothes or things that might be necessary, especially before the winter months is really important.”
The clothing drive, originally intended to provide gender-affirming clothing, recently found a larger audience.
“We collected casual clothing from students and faculty so that students who did not have access to gender-affirming clothing at home could choose some,” professor Carl Olds said. “These have been very successful for our transitioning students, but we also found other populations who needed access to casual clothing, like international students.”
The need for warm clothing for international students became apparent during the last drive. After speaking with some students, faculty realized just how many students are not prepared for the harshness of winter weather in America.
Paige Rose, the college’s associate dean, said, “When we held our second one, we were in a space with a strong presence of international students, and we saw the dire need for them to have clothing. Many come with limited resources and space, and students from warmer climates may not even own a jacket or any longer shirts or pants.”
CAHSS worked with the Center for Global Learning and Engagement to give clothes to arriving international students both this semester and last.
Maria Paulina Casas, a graduate student studying viola performance, is from Mexico City, Mexico. She said she is grateful for the resource.
“I find it really helpful because I don’t have a car, so to go shopping I have to use the school’s bus. This makes it easy to get clothes for cold weather because I am not used to that. My city is not cold, it’s hotter than here,” she said.
Additionally, students find the drive to be helpful for finding gender-inclusive and gender-affirming clothes.
Junior Draven Hernandez said, “It makes it a lot easier for me to find gender-inclusive clothes, especially in my size and within my budget. It’s hard to find gender-affirming clothes when you’re under five-foot tall and you’re plus size.”
The World of Work closet on Bernard Hall’s fourth floor will do these drives in the future. The WOW closet provides one professional attire outfit free of charge to any UCA student per academic year.
Rose said, “Recently, we found out that the clothing inventory we had built up would be taken by the WOW closet starting in January. The Students Everyday Wear, SEW, as it is now being called, will be staffed by WOW personnel, who will be able to provide oversight and inventory on all clothing.”
Both the WOW closet and SEW are available to any student.
For more information on the WOW Closet contact Career Services at [email protected] or 501-450-3250.
For more information on SEW contact the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at [email protected] or 501-450-3293.
