On Display, Online: Campus Disrupted

Photo Submitted

The online exhibition ends with the students reaction to the assassination of Martin Luther King Junior. Photo Credits: University of Arkansas Digital Collections, Razorback Yearbook Collection.

The Indian Removal Act, two world wars, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and now the COVID-19 pandemic have transformed the world, but how did they impact our campus? Campus Disrupted, presented on the Honors College blog, highlights University of Arkansas students' reaction to local, national and international events that brought change to our local community. From the Great Depression to a treetop protest, these historians put our university into context. 

Last summer, student historians quarantined at home launched the Public History Interest Group, led by Honors College staffmembers Louise Hancox and Katie Wilson Powell. Challenged to design their own project, this determined crew of history majors chose to tackle this exhibition to highlight students' perseverance and adaptability in turbulent times.

"Upon hearing of the project, I thought it would be an interesting and informative venture into looking at the past to learn more about our present," said student historian Jazlyn Sanderson. "I questioned how past generations struggled through similar times of disruption and how they persevered." 

Campus Disrupted is the first online exhibition to be offered on the Honors College Blog.

"These innovative students made the best of a challenging situation during the current crisis and created this meaningful reflection upon the experiences of earlier students," said Louise Hancox, director of career innovation in the Honors College.

Moving forward, the Public History Interest Group will meet on the first Tuesday of every month from 4:30-5:30 p.m. on Zoom. Students interested in join the group should email Louise Hancox at lhancox@uark.edu for more details.

Meet the student historians:

• Michael Fuhrman is a junior Honors College fellow majoring in history and psychology, minoring in religious studies. Originally from Bryant, Arkansas, Fuhrman is involved on campus as the vice chair of the Distinguished Lectures Committee, volunteers as an Honors College ambassador, and serves as the coordinator for the Associated Student Government's Freshman Leadership Forum.

• Cayla McGrail is a recent honors graduate of the University of Arkansas, having completed a B.A. in history and anthropology with a minor in historic preservation. Her research interests include gender history, feminism, and museum studies. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in historic preservation at the University of Oregon.

• Sydney Nichols is a junior Bob & Ruth Shipley Honors College fellow majoring in art history and creative writing, minoring in Southern studies. From Marion, Arkansas, Nichols is interested in the artistic and literary expressions of the South. Upon graduation, she plans to pursue a graduate degree in contemporary American art and curatorial studies.

• Jazlyn Sanderson is an honors senior, completing her B.A. in December 2020 with a major in art history and a minor in history. Her study interests lie in pre-Columbian art and craftwork. Currently, she is working as an intern with the Museum of Native American History in Bentonville, Arkansas.

• Emily Snyder is a junior Honors College fellow majoring in history and minoring in Spanish. Originally from Bentonville, Snyder is a member of the University of Arkansas Museum Student Advisory Council and Phi Alpha Theta, and serves as an Honors College ambassador. After college she hopes to pursue a graduate degree in museum and archival studies, and eventually work to connect underrepresented communities with museum services.

• Curtis Worley is a senior majoring in cultural anthropology and minoring in history. His study interests lie in military history, development of religions and the transformation of the Later Roman era into the early Middle Ages.