Binghamton hosts Region VII ACUI conference

Binghamton University recently served as the host of the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Region VII Conference in The Union, welcoming 100+ attendees from 29 different institutions. This was the first time Binghamton University has hosted this conference, which was supported by partners all across the division. The theme of the conference was “Ignite Your Why,” creating an environment for participants to examine and reignite their motivation for working in the campus activities and student union fields.

Conference highlights included an intergenerational panel of staff and graduate students, a series of PechaKutcha presentations — a storytelling format in which a presenter shows 20 slides for 20 seconds of commentary each — from the conference planning team on its “Why” and a mentoring session connecting seasoned professionals with graduate students. Educational session topics included student employee training and retention, moving to digital student union operations and how to have more meaningful discussions with staff and student leaders.

Binghamton University employees were presented with two awards during the last night of the conference:

• The Teresa D. Drummond Memorial Award was given in honor of the 2022 Men of Color Summit. The award promotes “cross-cultural communication and acceptance, in addition to advocating for the inclusion of everyone in campus communities.” This event was created by Campus Activities and the Multicultural Resource Center to “educate, empower and motivate students to strive for excellence in education.”
• The Edgar A. Whiting Award was given to Jennifer Keegin, associate director for Campus Activities. “The highest Region VII honor, this award is presented to an outstanding member of Region VII who has consistently performed above and beyond the call of duty in their role within ACUI and in their institution(s). The individual has attained prominence through efforts to develop the college union and student activities movement on a regional basis through their work within the association and on their campuses. They exemplify the core values of ACUI by demonstrating exceptional commitment and support of other colleagues and continually volunteering in regional activities, councils and programs to help advance the mission of ACUI.”