Activities Center - Virgil Henson
The Virgil Henson Activities Center is a 270,000-square-foot facility which houses a weight room, recreational pool, eight-lane bowling center, six racquetball courts, one wallyball court, a cycle room, a 38,000-square-foot all-purpose gymnasium for volleyball and basketball, a 40-foot tall climbing tower, 1/8 mile jogging tract and a game room. The weight room has free weights, plate-loaded weight machines, pin-select machines, and a cardio area with treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines and StairMasters. The game room has billiards, shuffleboard, foosball, air hockey, table tennis, darts, game tables and board games. The Activities Center houses the offices of the Department of Sports and Exercise Sciences, Recreational Sports, Student Medical Services, Kids Kollege and Office of Intercollegiate Athletics.
For more information, access the website at www.wtamu.edu/vhac.
Alumni Association
The WTAMU Alumni Association, located in Buffalo Courts Alumni Center, is the liaison between the University and its graduates and former students. They represent the alumni constituency in the daily life of the University and work to promote our traditions and history among students and the community. Visit the Alumni Association to order your WTAMU class ring, a tradition unique to West Texas A&M University and its graduates. By joining the WT Alumni Association, your membership engages our students and alumni and connects you to the University. For more information about mentoring, networking or how to get involved, please contact the Alumni Association at 806-651-2311 or visit www.BuffAlum.com.
Athletics
WTAMU has 16 men’s and women’s teams competing in intercollegiate athletics as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II and the Lone Star Conference. For more information regarding athletics, access the website at www.gobuffsgo.com.
Buffalo Sports Park
Buffalo Sports Park is one of the largest groupings of synthetic fields in the United States. It is the home of Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium, recognized as the top football stadium in NCAA Division II. Buffalo Sports Park also includes The Pitch (soccer & track), Wilder Park (baseball) and Schaeffer Park (softball). All West Texas A&M students can enjoy recreational activities in the Sports Park, including two lighted intramural and recreational softball/flag football fields, lighted courts for recreational tennis, basketball, and sand volleyball and a walking/running track that winds around the park.
Buff Branding
Buff Branding, part two of our new-student orientation experience, is designed to help first-year students become familiar with the WTAMU culture and traditions, develop a network of support, understand academic expectations, and successfully make the transition from high school to the university. Buff Branding has been a campus tradition for more than 35 years. It starts the day the residence halls open in the fall and includes the University’s traditional Branding Ceremony, a new student’s official welcome to the “Buff” family. For more information, contact the Office of Orientation and Academic Success at 806-651-2341.
Campus Activities Board
The Campus Activities Board is a student run organization that provides social, cultural, intellectual and recreational programs to all on-campus and commuter students. Activities include opportunities to connect to campus and to other students and to enhance the educational experience through diverse and exciting programming and events. For more information, contact the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership located in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center, Room 103, at 806-651-2313 or email us at wtosel@wtamu.edu.
Campus Media
The campus publication, The Prairie, is published in online format and informs readers of student activities and student opinions. The editor and staff of The Prairie are students interested in journalism, and they work under supervision of media communication faculty. For more information, access the website at www.wtamu.edu/prairie and on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/theprairiewt/ or X @The_Prairie.
The Eternal Flame is the university magazine which is published in both the spring and fall semesters. Students coordinate the writing, photography, graphic design and advertising aspects of the magazine. Eternal Flame staff members photograph university events throughout the year and post them on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wteternalflame/.
WTAMU owns and operates a non-commercial educational radio station, KWTS-FM 91.1, which allows students hands-on experience in the radio field. The student-operated station provides the opportunity for on-air announcing. KWTS prepares daily newscasts as well as broadcasting of WTAMU sporting events. Access the website for more information at wtamu.edu/kwts or click on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kwts91.1/.
The WTTV Network mission is to provide West Texas A&M University with information and entertaining programming and video production produced by (and about) WTAMU. WTTV endeavors to provide an educational opportunity for the students of West Texas A&M University to participate in all aspects of television production, gain experience in the field of broadcasting, live video production, develop visual skills, and create programming that fosters ideas of creative expression. The WTTV network includes a network of dozens of television monitors across campus with content delivered to Channel 18 in all residence halls. This work is done by Thunder Vision and the JBK Production Services.
1910 PR is a student-led public relations firm that handles public relations campaigns for both on-campus clients and off-campus clients. For information about 1910 PR, email 1910pr@wtamu.edu.
Chapel - Joseph A. Hill
Dedicated to the first faculty of the University, the chapel is available as a place of individual worship, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Monday through Friday, and to student groups for reflection/worship. Facilities of the chapel are also available for weddings and other appropriate services. Arrangements for use of the chapel are made with the Information Desk in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center at www.JBK@wtamu.edu or 806-651-2394.
Cultural Opportunities
The Formal Art Gallery, located in Mary Moody Northen Hall, has frequent shows of art created by both students and professional artists. Hundreds of open-to-the-public concerts, recitals, exhibits and theatre performances are staged on campus each year, most free to students. The University boasts its own fully endowed Harrington String Quartet. Qualified students are invited to participate in performance ensembles including band, jazz band, choir, orchestra, and instrumental and vocal ensembles.
For more information, contact the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities at 806-651-2777.
Greek Life
WTAMU hosts ten national fraternities and sororities, groups of women or men who join together to build community and networking. The sorority and fraternity community are one of friendship, scholarship, leadership, community engagement through direct service, philanthropic endeavor, and siblinghood. The fraternity or sorority experience provides unlimited support, encouragement, and motivation to maximize students’ full potential and create a sense of home within the small campus community. For more information on Greek Life, visit wtamu.edu/Greek. To register for sorority or fraternity recruitment experience, contact the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership at WTOSEL@wtamu.edu or at 806-651-2313.
Recreational Sports
The purpose of recreational sports at West Texas A&M University is to provide a comprehensive and varied program of competitive recreational experiences designed to meet the needs and interests of regularly enrolled undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty/staff members. The program includes intramurals, special events, sport clubs, Camp Tatanka, fitness, outdoor pursuits, Splish Splash Academy and the Virgil Henson Activities Center.
- Intramurals are competitions offered in sports for women, men, and men and women combined on teams (co-rec). Competitions are provided in the form of leagues, tournaments and/or special events each semester. Programs offered are based upon student interest and availability of resources and facilities.
- Special events are offered at certain times during the school year for all students and faculty/staff. These activities allow students the opportunity to engage in wholesome activities on campus. Some activities offered are preseason tournaments. One of the most popular special events is Night at the AC, sponsored by the Office of Recreational Sports.
- Sport clubs provide opportunities for students to engage in wholesome competitive sports beyond the intramural level and in sports not part of the intercollegiate athletic program. Sport clubs at WTAMU include the Bowling Club, Tennis Club, Rifle Club, Trap and Skeet, and Power Lifting.
- WT Fitness, located in Virgil Henson Activities Center, is dedicated to building and encouraging personal health excellence. Services offered include group exercise and special events. Group exercise classes include, but are not limited to, spin class, Pilates, self-defense, ballroom dancing, yoga, barre, and water aerobics. For more information, contact Rec Sports at 806-651-2400 or www.wtamu.edu/student-life/recreational-sports.
- Outdoor Pursuits provides students with the opportunity to experience and enjoy the natural environment around them. Trips and classes will be offered each semester. The Outdoor Pursuits Shop in the Virgil Henson Activities Center is available to students, faculty/staff and the public and also offers camping equipment and bike rentals.
The Office of Recreational Sports, located in Virgil Henson Activities Center, can be contacted at 806-651-2400 or www.wtamu.edu/student-life/recreational-sports.
Religious Activities
Opportunity for continued religious growth and development is provided by student centers supported by Baptist, Catholic, Christian, Church of Christ, Episcopal, Lutheran and Methodist churches. Additionally, we have a variety of different religious student organizations that are impactful in building community and religious fellowship. For more information on the student organizations here at WTAMU, visit wtamu.edu/Orgs or contact the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership at WTOSEL@wtamu.edu or 806-651-2313.
Student Center - Jack B. Kelley
The Jack B. Kelley Student Center, often referred to as the JBK, is the gathering place for the entire West Texas A&M University community. The JBK provides a convenient, central location for students to grab a snack, meet a friend or just hang out and study. It is essentially our living room on campus! Additional services provided in the Student Center include:
- Large and small meeting rooms
- Large-screen televisions
- Wireless Internet connections
- Food Court
- Starbucks
- JBK Information Desk
- University Bookstore and Buff Tech Store
- United States Post Office
- Office of Student Enrollment, Engagement and Success
- Student Government Offices
- Buffalo Gold Card Office
- Student Engagement and Leadership
- Nathaniel and Helen Neal Multicultural Suite
The building is named in memory of former Amarillo businessman Jack B. Kelley, whose family provided an endowment to be used for facility improvements. The Food Court, Pod Store and Starbucks offer a variety of different food options including Pony Express, a locally owned burrito company, Chick-fil-A, Which Wich sandwiches, snacks and specialty coffees.
Special events for all students are offered at the JBK throughout the semester during the school year. Some of the activities offered are the annual Welcome to the JBK (held during the first week of the fall semester) and Finals Midnight Breaks (held during finals week in the fall and spring semesters).
For more information, call 806-651-2394 or come by the JBK Information Desk. Additional information is also located on our website at www.wtamu.edu/jbk.
Student Government
Student Government’s purpose is to voice the beliefs and concerns of the entire student population within the West Texas A&M University community and the Texas A&M University System. Student Government consists of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The executive branch consists of the student body president, student body vice president and chief justice. The judicial branch consists of the chief justice and members of the Student Judicial Board. The legislative branch is overseen by the vice president and consists of approximately 40 senators who represent each college, graduate and freshman students. Membership of Student Senate is comprised of Senators representing each college on campus in addition to graduate and freshman senators. Each college is guaranteed one seat and the seats are allocated based on each college’s percentage of the total student body.
Freshman and graduate senators are elected in the fall general election.
For more information, contact Student Government at 806-651-2385.
Student Organizations
West Texas A&M University has more than 130 organizations for students to participate in. Quality education is preparation for a lifetime of learning. The University fully supports a well-rounded approach to education and encourages involvement in student organizations. While experiences in the classroom are vital, the vast majority of education goes beyond the classroom. Opportunities for involvement include departmental and professional, honorary, mutual interest, recreation/sport, religious, residence halls, service, student services and social organizations. Organizations are free to develop standards for membership. Any provisions for the basis of membership must follow the laws governing memberships.
For more information on joining an organization, go to www.wtamu.edu/orgs.
|
