UTech, Ja Student Handbook 2019-2020

“ E X C E L L E N C E T H R O U G H K N O W L E D G E ” 145 T H E S T U D E N T S ’ A C T I V I T Y C E N T R E The Students’ Activity Centre (SAC), more pop- ularly known as the “Barn”, is an area designated for social and recreational activities for stu- dents. The Barn is populated with restaurants, a barber shop, a beauty salon, a mini mart, fruit stand, ice cream and shakes outlet and the “Green House". This area also hosts the Stu- dents’ Union Council Consultation Office and Conference room. Broadly speaking, the facility is devoted to student recreation and socialization. C O MM U N I T Y O U T R E A C H S E R V I C E S The Students’ Union believes that “the true test of mankind’s love is through the art of giving”. Thus, the Council has endeavoured to organize sustainable activities that not only benefit stu- dents, but also our immediate surroundings and, the wider society. In an attempt to fulfil this desire to contribute, the Union plans and executes two major signature projects each year. Our outreach programmes are not limited to these two activities however. 1 . T H E “ T E A C H T H E Y O U T H ” P R O G R A MM E This programme came into being in the summer of 1999 to carry out remedial and other educational work, directly benefiting two communities. The programme has since been expanded to five communities: Kintyre, August Town, Tavern, Highlight View and Sandy Park, and it is now mandated as an annual event. 2 . “ N AT I O N W I D E T A G D R I V E ” Students traverse the country in an attempt to solicit funds to aid various charitable organiza- tions and or needy individuals. The “Tag Drive” consists of a week of activities in semester one each year. These include a church service, a “Celebrity Dutch Auction”, a collection in the Kingston Corporate Area and, on the final day, an island-wide collection. The Tag Drive is geared towards empowering students to gain levels of self-fulfilment from knowing that they are participating in an event that benefits the less fortunate in our society. C L U B S A N D S O C I E T I E S There are several student-based associations at the University of Technology, Jamaica. These recognized clubs/societies fall under the aus- pices of the Students’ Union Council. Through recent amendments, the Director of Elections, Clubs and Societies governs all proceedings of clubs and societies ranging from students’ activity clubs and professional societies to cul- tural, religious and special interest groups. The clubs comprise students from various Colleges/Faculties/Schools and Programmes, while the societies are aligned to specific dis- ciplines. They all offer students an opportunity for increased social interaction and the ability to gain invaluable experience while expanding S T U D E N T L I F E