The Pillars of the Arch card, designed by Diane Teague,
Student Activities Graphic Designer
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The Pillars of the Arch card, designed by Diane Teague, Student Activities Graphic Designer |
Last April a group of students and Student Affairs staff successfully presented to the University Council for its endorsement a new campus creed based upon the Pillars of the Arch. These Pillars – Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation – have been adopted as the values statement of the University and will become a visible part of University of Georgia life for students, faculty, and staff.
The Pillars of the Arch statement was initiated by a task force of staff and students who were charged with reviewing the processes of the Student Judiciary during the 1999-2000 school year. Student Activities staff members on the committee were Eric Atkinson, Claudia Shamp and Candy Sherman, who worked in conjunction with students and other Student Affairs staff. In examining the judiciary handbook, the task force realized that a broad statement would give focus to the judicial policies and give students a sense of what being a University of Georgia student means. Kyle Wingfield, a student on the committee, wrote the original statement and based it on the University of South Carolina Carolinian Creed. The USC creed is online at http://www.sa.sc.edu/creed/. Kyle started with the idea that many students were not aware of the ideals represented by the UGA Arch, so he chose to develop the values statement from the existing principles. The University of Georgia Arch is derived from the Arch depicted on the Great Seal of the State of Georgia. On the Great Seal, the three pillars, representing the legislative, judicial and executive branches of government, are wrapped in the principles of the state Constitution, which are wisdom, justice and moderation. (For more information about the state seal, see http://www.sos.state.ga.us/state_capitol/education_corner/state_seal.html). The UGA Arch borrowed these principles to represent the three Pillars of the Arch and the Arch itself represents the state Constitution. (Information on the history and traditions of the UGA Arch is available at http://www.uga.edu/uga/arch.html)
Eric Atkinson, Pat Daugherty, Willie Banks, Jim Crouch |
Pillars of the Arch was chosen for the Collaboration/Teamwork Award at the Student Affairs Awards Recognition Celebration.
Team members were Pat Daugherty, Willie Banks, Candy Sherman, Eric Atkinson, Jim Crouch, Tony Kearney, Vanessa Smith, Emily Dungan, Student Activities, Miniority Services and Programs, CSAA Master's Student |
In the fall of 2001, members of Student Activities, the Department of Housing, and the Office of Minority Services and Programs formed a committee with student leaders to further develop the Pillars of the Arch. Interested students formed an official student organization, the Pillars of the Arch Association, advised by Dr. Pat Daugherty, the Director of Student Activities, and graduate intern Emily Dungan. Other staff members who worked to develop the Pillars of the Arch statement were Willie Banks, Vanessa Williams Smith, Jim Crouch, Tony Kearney, Candy Sherman, and Eric Atkinson. Students on the committee were Tyler Helms, Kyle Wingfield, Gabe Fleet, Sarah Vignes, Grant Hawkins, Sanchia Patrick, and Haylee Vance. Throughout the year, the committee refined the creed suggested by Kyle Wingfield and presented it to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Associate Provost, Dr. Richard Mullendore. After a few changes, the committee then presented it to the University Council in April 2001. The University Council approved the Pillars of the Arch as the official creed of the University of Georgia and inserted the Pillars of the Arch as a supplement to the University Code of Conduct. In May, 2001, the committee was awarded the Student Affairs Outstanding Collaboration / Teamwork Award for their efforts.
The Pillars of the Arch will be presented officially to the University of Georgia community for the first time at the 2001 Opening Convocation. Three students will speak on the values of wisdom, justice and moderation, and students attending Convocation will receive a card detailing the Pillars of the Arch and an Arch pin, as a reminder of the principles. Students attending the BIG Event and LeaderShape events have already learned about the Pillars of the Arch. The Pillars of the Arch will appear on cups, T-shirts, the student handbook and other highly visible places around campus this year. The Pillars of the Arch Association hopes to include the Pillars of the Arch statement in all official university functions as a continuing reminder of what it means to be a proud and positive member of the University of Georgia community.