This is Native American Heritage Month and we are celebrating it with drumming, dancing, storytelling and eating. Members of the Indian Inter-Tribal Association of Arkansas (INARK) and Lee Standing Bear Moore of the Manataka American Indian Council (MAIC) will present the program.

Last year's event was one of the most popular programs on campus, according to Angela Jackson, director of the Office of Multicultural Student Services.

"Last year, we reserved half the ballroom and there was not an empty seat," Jackson said. "This year, we have booked the whole room so, hopefully, everyone who wishes to attend will be able to."

The university also has doubled the number of performers, she said. INARK and Moore, who presented last year's program, will be joined by more members of MAIC this year, she said.

The event is free and open to the public but seating is first-come, first-served. Some instructors are offering extra credit for attending, Jackson said.

"There are at least four that I know of that will offer extra credit and it's quite possible there are others I do not know of," she said.

The event is sponsored by the Mentorship Program and the SGA.

The events begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. in the Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center. It is free and there will be refreshments.

There will be screenings of two documentary films: "The Old Gray Lady: Arkansas’s First Newspaper" and "The Crisis Mr. Faubus Made: The Role of the Arkansas Gazette in the Central High Crisis." The films were made by faculty members and shown during the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in 2007 and 2010 and the Ozark Foothills Film Festival in 2007 and 2011.

Angela Webster-Smith, assistant professor of leadership programs, will present the results of her study,“The Status of Dr. King’s Dream in Little Rock and Memphis Schools,” from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Webster-Smith heard Martin Luther King Jr. speak in Memphis when she was seven years old and joined the civil rights movement early in life.

“His speech motivated me to be a teacher," Webster-Smith said. "Even at a very young age, I knew he was able to extend hope to people. I wanted to have a positive influence on people.”

She surveyed schools in Memphis and Little Rock and asked teachers how they taught students about King and his dream for America. She said most of his teachings were highlighted in art, language and social studies classes. Teachers designed their own lessons with ties based on King’s famous "I Have a Dream" speech, even though the activities weren’t part of their standard curriculum. Webster-Smith has done a follow-up study that she is submitting for publication.

“When we know our society and history, we know what we want to replicate and what we don’t want to replicate,” she said.

It's called the UCA Amigo Cup Soccer Challenge and it begins at 10 a.m. today. The games continue at 8 a.m. tomorrow. The championship game is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday. The games are being held at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex. Admission is free.

There are 14 teams from around the state and Memphis competing in the tournament for the title of Latino State Soccer Champion. That lineup includes eight men's teams and six women's teams. They are competing for cash prizes, medals and the championship trophy.

The event includes Mexican food vendors, campus bus tours, face painting and rock wall climbing.

UCA hosted the first Amigo Cup last year but participation was limited to six teams in the central Arkansas area. Because of the success of that tournament, organizers expanded it to include the rest of the state this year.

Cesar Aguilar, director of the Northwest Arkansas Soccer League, said the tournament benefits the university and the state's growing Latino community.

"This tournament is great for our community because UCA is showing that it cares about the future of Latinos by providing an opportunity for a college education," Aguilar said.

Gary Roberts, dean of students, said the tournament will introduce the university to Latinos and help recruit them to our campus. Latinos are the fast-growing group in the state with an increase of more than 100 percent over the past decade.

Organizers expect a large crowd and seating is limited. They recommend that you arrive early and bring your own chair.

Here is a video of the action at last year's tournament.

The Greater than AIDS Testing Tour bus is on campus from 2:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. today at the Student Center. The test is free and organizers will be handing out free food and drinks, T-shirts and $10 Wal-Mart gift cards to everyone who gets tested. There also will be a drawing for a $100 gift card from Best Buy.

The event includes entertainment from internationally recognized slam poet and activist Chauncy Beaty and  author Carl Jackson. Beaty, an ambassador for the Greater than AIDS Foundation, is ranked third in the world by Poetry Slam Inc. and has appeared in many television show. Jackson, a Little Rock native who has the HIV virus, is author of "The Set Up; A Testimony by Carl.” He is affiliated with Living Affected, a nonprofit organization devoted to HIV awareness and prevention.

According to Angela Carroll Jackson, director of multicultural student services, the UCA stop is the starting point of this year's testing tour.

“They have come before to do testing, but this is the first time they have kicked off the tour at UCA," Jackson said. "They are making it a big, big program”

The testing tour will be in two other cities this weekend. It will be in West Memphis on Friday and Texarkana on Saturday. It is sponsored by the Arkansas Department of Health in cooperation with the Black AIDS  Institute and the Greater than AIDS Foundation. The tour provided about 150 HIV tests during its tour last year.

“Everyone should know their status, given that this is a college campus and so many students are sexually active," Jackson said. "I would want them to know their status and we want to do everything we can to give our students all the information they need to protect themselves, and we owe it to our students to provide this information and services.”

Nontraditional student lounge

If you are a nontraditional student feeling a bit isolated on campus, here's a chance to meet your peers.

There's a free lunch during X-period today for all the nontraditional students on campus. It's in the conference room across the hall from Room 205 of Bernard Hall. It's sponsored by the Nontraditional Student Organization on campus and the first of three monthly lunches it offers each semester.

"The most important thing to being successful is being connected," said Liz Davis, one of the event organizers. "It can be lonely on campus. In some of your classes, you can be the only nontraditional student.

The NSO maintains a student lounge for nontraditional students in Room 205 of Bernard Hall. It is a gathering place for the students, a place to study or relax and a place to meet other nontraditional students. The room has couches and wireless Internet access and a student worker provides coffee, soft drinks and snacks. It is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

"For the nontraditional students who do not live on campus or in Conway, the room is a great place to stay and unwind," said Holly Peters, a nontraditional student. "I live in Little Rock and cannot go home between classes."

The purpose of the event is to honor many of the African-American leaders on our campus. Each minority RSO and Greek organization will name a winner in each of four categories.

Those categories are:

• Best New Member - leadership by a first-year member
• I’ll Be There - most dedicated member of the organization.
• All The Way Turned Up - member with the best attitude.
• Ride or Die - member who has been there the longest.

Other awards are determined by information from coaches and academic records and popular vote. Those categories are:

• Highest GPA - freshman, sophomore, junior, senior and graduate classes at the end of the fall 2010 semester.
• Outstanding Leadership - freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes.
• Outstanding Male Player - football, basketball and men's track.
• Outstanding Female Player - basketball and women's track.
• Outstanding Faculty Member
• Outstanding Staff Member

SPBC hosts this event annually to bring attention to those in minority RSO’s and the National Pan-Hellenic Council who make a difference at UCA.

“We just want to show leaders that we see their hard work and efforts and want to reward them for that,” said Kel Brooks, the SPBC chairman of the Essence Awards.

The attire for the event is semi-formal.

“We do this every year," said David Saterfield, president of NABMU."This year we want to expand our influence on campus.”

NABMU is a national nonprofit organization formed to help African-American men graduate from college but the  organization is open to everyone, regardless of  gender or race. NABMU Week is designed to educate students about some of the main issues that lead to college dropouts.

Here is the schedule of events for this week:

• Monday - How to be Successful in America. Student Center, Room 213. 7 p.m.
• Tuesday - Faculty Appreciation Program. Student Center, Room 213. 7 p.m.
• Wednesday - Prejudice in America student panel discussion. Student Center, Room 214. 7 p.m.
• Thursday - Music on the Yard. Student Center Courtyard. X-period.
• Friday - Member social. Student Center, Room 214.

NABMU will be pairing with PRISM Wednesday night for a “Prejudice in America” program and collecting donations for a scholarship during the "Music in the Yard" event.

All the events are free and open to everyone.

Cheatham received a $1,000 scholarship with her title. She also received the Interview Award with a $200 scholarship, the Evening Wear Award and was named Miss Congeniality. She was sponsored by the UCA chapter of Keep a Child Alive and her platform was AIDS and HIV awareness in children.

The first runner-up was Candice Bailey, who received a $500 scholarship. She also received the Highest GPA Award with a $100 scholarship and the Swimsuit Award. She was sponsored by Bailey & Co. Trucking.

Joy Spellman was the second runner-up and received a $300 scholarship. She also received the Ad Sales Award with a $100 scholarship  for selling $450 in ads for the pageant and the Talent Award for another $150 scholarship. For the talent round, Spellman did a praise dance to the song, “I Know I’ve Been Changed.” She was sponsored by Phi Beta Sigma.

Kelsy Bennett won the Early Bird Award with a $100 scholarship and LaTeisha Miller won the People's Choice Award.

Cheatham said she had a plan for implementing her goal of education children about HIV and AIDS.

“We first should start going to schools and letting them know this virus does not have one sick person it is out for," she said. "We have to let them know it affects everyone.”

Brittney Bennett, last year's Miss Essence, had some advice for Cheatham.

“You need to implement your platform and you will be a role model on this campus now,” Bennett said.

Miss Essence 2011 Portia Cheatham.

Performances kept the crowd entertained during breaks. Bennett sang and there was a dance routine. Miss Arkansas Alyse Eady, who was first runner-up in this year's Miss America pageant, performed her signature ventriloquist act, singing “He is High & Mighty.” Before the crowning, Phi Mu Alpha serenaded the contestants with “Can You Feel The Love Tonight?”

Here are some other photographs from the event. They are provided courtesy of Steve Wright Jr. of Wright Way Photography.

Here's a video of the crowning ceremony.

The women competing for the title this year are Candice Bailey, Kelsy Bennett, Portia Cheatham, Chennetta Edmonson, LaTeisha Miller, Joy Spellman and Shelby Underwood. The competition includes modeling swimwear and evening wear, performing a talent, being interviewed and answering an impromptu on-stage question.

The winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship. First runner-up will receive a $500 scholarship and second runner-up will get a $300 scholarship. Other scholarships are available for winners of individual categories.

Tonight's event includes an appearance by last year's Miss Essence winner, Brittney Bennett. Miss Arkansas 2010 Alyse Eady, who finished as the first runner-up in the Miss America Pageant, will perform her signature ventriloquism act.

"I'm honored to be among such great role models on this campus and I wish the newly-crowned Miss Essence the best during her reign," Bennett said.

General admission is $5 for faculty and $3 for staff. Admission for students is free.

2010 Miss Essence Brittney Bennett

This event is part of the annual observance of Black History Month and is sponsored by the Students for the Propaganda of Black Culture, Minority Student Services and SGA.

Robertson, 26, was diagnosed with HIV in June 2007 while a college student in Chicago. He has used that obstacle as an opportunity to travel around the country educating people about the disease and inspiring those affected by it.

He will be on campus tonight to share his story. He also will show a 30-minute documentary film, "Helping Innocent Vessels (HIV)," about his experience with HIV, his brother's diagnosis with HIV and their mother's experience of caring for two sons with the devastating disease.

The program begins at 6 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. It is sponsored by the Minority Membership Program, the SGA and Minority Student Services as part of the campus observance of Black History Month.

David Robertson

You can read his moving, personal account of the day he was diagnosed here.

Admission is free and open to everyone.