An initiative of the Honors Year One program and the Honors College Assembly, Coffee Hour aims to give Honors College students the opportunity to enjoy a free cup of joe each week, while providing them with consistency and community.
Through this event, students are presented with several ways to get involved, meet other students and faculty in the honors community and participate in open discussions on various topics.
“The goal of the event is to engage first-year honors students so they are plugged into the Honors College early and allow them to make connections with upperclassmen. This creates a sense of community and enriches the experience of each student who takes advantage of what the event has to offer,” Kindle Williams, a sophomore majoring in biological and chemical engineering, said.
In addition to coffee and a sense of community, Coffee Hour offers a series of discussions at each event known as HCA Talks, hosted by the Honors College Assembly. Each discussion is led by, an Honors College faculty member who gives a presentation on a specific topic that does not necessarily get classroom attention. Speakers have discussed topics such as creativity, which, often gets overlooked in academia. Students then are free to discuss the ideas given in the presentation.
“Coffee Hour gets you out of your academic comfort zone,” Eric Terrell, a freshman majoring in chemical engineering, said. “It mixes academics with an informal social atmosphere and gives us the opportunity to hear about topics we don’t normally talk about in our classes, such as creativity or glaciology.”
Coffee Hour occurs weekly and not only gives students a chance to interact with their peers, but also an opportunity to meet their teachers and engage academically.
“The overarching benefit of Coffee Hour is the opportunity to meet with faculty members,” Neil Adams, VIP recruiting specialist for Honors College, said. “This allows students to express any questions or concerns they have, whether academic or not, and learn about involvement opportunities or which classes to take.”
Adams said the Honors College faculty is pleased with the outcome of Coffee Hour, which seems to be fulfilling its goal of providing consistency and community, as well as meaningful social interaction among faculty and students. The event, which began at the beginning of the 2013 school year, is now averaging 20 to 30 attendees week to week.
“Overall, it’s a friendly environment where I can interact with faculty I wouldn’t normally meet and hang out with friends from the Honors College in a casual but fun and enlightening environment,” Terrell said.
