By Mia Alfonsi
The College of Design, Construction and Planning kicked off the fall semester with another successful Fall Premiere.
Students gathered in the Architecture Building’s Atrium to learn more about how to get involved with DCP’s clubs and organizations.
Notable staff such as Dean Chimay Anumba and Associate Deans Abdol Chini and Margaret Portillo were in attendance to support students’ work and connect with some new faces of the college.
Several of the student clubs and organizations showcased at the event were the DCP Ambassadors, DCP Entrepreneurship Club (DCPE), FLoAT, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Architrave, the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) UF chapter, the Homecoming Float team and UF’s chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMAS).
Nicole Arrieta, a fourth-year architecture major and president of DCPE, commended Fall Premiere’s ability to bring students together and raise awareness for involvement opportunities.
“It’s what gains interest,” Arrieta said. “This is the one time where we can all come together and celebrate all the different perspectives we have on our college and get people to take action.”
Arrieta is one of the five students who stepped up to lead DCPE, an organization that was initiated by Dean Anumba and helps students merge their studies at DCP with the entrepreneurial world.
Not only is Fall Premiere successful in allowing student organizations to gain exposure, it also allows students of varying disciplines to unite and acknowledge the totality of DCP’s departments.
“Students are able to learn about the interdisciplinary nature of our college,” said Chini, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and Facilities. “You may be in architecture, but there are a lot of things that you have in common with those who do construction, so (the event) provides a kind of interaction between students and makes them more familiar with each other and the way they work.”
Through this event, students are made aware of pre-professional opportunities and connected with other disciplines of the college, which helps them gain a better understanding of what to expect in a real-world profession and how to work on a team with varying academic backgrounds, Chini said.
This sense of interactivity that Chini touches on is something that Anumba insists on spreading throughout the college, said Kjerstin Terry, DCP’s events manager.
“We’re trying to (promote) the communal tone, having people come out and share a meal together,” Terry said. “We hope that it’s really positive.”
On behalf of DCP, thank you to the DCP Ambassadors for helping put together this event and to the staff and students who attended. We’re glad the students got to enjoy the build-your-own-taco bar sponsored by the college. Best of luck to all of them this fall!