Written by Abbey Williams // Photo by Macy Cox
The Student Government Association invited faculty and staff to grab a free drink from Warehouse 4 and Midnight Oil last week as a gift of appreciation.
Sophomore female SGA representative Elizabeth Brown said the idea for the coffee was a group effort.
“We actually had several ideas before finally thinking about this one,” Brown said. “Ella Duryea brought it up at a meeting one day that Warehouse and MO would be gracious enough to give our professors coffees on them. Grayson Hume had the idea of writing inspiring messages on the cups, so we did that. We think that this is a sweet reminder to the professors that they are loved, appreciated and seen.”
Brown said offering free coffee to faculty and staff provided “positive insight” about the Harding community.
“It shows that our students appreciate our faculty and recognize their passion,” Brown said. “The Harding community is a family, and I believe this is a great example. The SGA does a good job at bridging the gap between students and faculty, and I believe that we use opportunities like this to give students a chance to show appreciation for professors and those who have impacted them.”
Ocean Furbee, assistant manager at Warehouse 4, said she hopes to continue to be involved with Harding and its community. She said the Searcy and Harding communities are a “driving force” behind the things they do.
“Hopefully, we’ll be included in campus activities for the foreseeable future,” Furbee said. “We are always trying to come up with ideas on things the community wants to see from us, and we are open to suggestions and ideas from those around us.”
Lori Sloan, assistant professor of communication, said the SGA’s effort to provide an appreciation gift demonstrates the caring community Harding has.
“I think it shows that one of the big factors of community is to care for each other, and one great way to care is to show appreciation,” Sloan said. “So for this to be a priority on their list when there are lots of other things they could be doing — it really means a lot to me.”
Sloan said that the students taking time to plan the event was a great way to thank faculty and staff.
“It’s very heartwarming for them to continue to try to do things to show appreciation to the hard-working faculty,” Sloan said. “We’ll never underestimate the value of kindness. And these efforts — even though a cup of coffee — it’s a grand gesture because there’s a lot of faculty.”
