Today, the University of Guam celebrates their 54th charter anniversary, which is around the same time they celebrate its Jubilee year of existence.
This is the first time since the pandemic has caused the island to shut down.
The University kicked off its celebration yesterday, with remarks from several senators and school officials.
Governor Lou even signed a proclamation at the ceremony, declaring the month of March as UOG’s charter month.
Lawrence Camacho, UOG Dean of Enrollment and Student Success, told PNC, “We are the only institution, land grant institution, that is across the United States whose charter by its jurisdictional government, as in the Government of Guam, informs the University through the charter that its mission is to not just advance the community in Guam, but transforms the lives of people in Guam, advance the lives of people in Guam, but of the region, the Micronesian region,” said Camacho. “So, that is a very powerful statement within the charter.”
Currently, over 600 people have registered for this event and luckily this came at a time after Governor Lou Leon Guerrero signed Executive Order No. 2022-06, which lifted numerical restrictions on outdoor social gatherings.
Although the pandemic may have changed things, President of the UOG, Student Government Association Angelo Paule, has said that although this will be a little different compared to past charter days, that is the story of the pandemic: trying new things and making changes along the way and seeing what sticks.
“We are taking sign-ins, we are courting off the area, we are looking at social distancing, and yes–masks will be, this will be a masked event,” said Paule. “Of course, in context, if you’re in the middle, not around people, and you’re social distanced, it’s an outdoor event so, you should be good.”
Tonight from 3 pm all the way till 7 pm, people in attendance can expect a festival atmosphere filled with many local food trucks, live performances, student organization vendors, community outreach programs, raffles, prizes, and more.
Paule added that there are many things UOG and its students have to be proud of. He points out, “This is, of course, a celebration of the 54th charter day and also 70 years of UOG. I mentioned it this morning at the ceremony, but we have a lot to be proud of as students. One student recently discovered a new species; we had 4 Truman scholarships last year; the vaccine clinic here on campus was sustained very much through the volunteers of students. So, there’s a lot to be proud of, and we are looking forward to Charter Day tomorrow.”
After Charter Day, the University of Guam has a lot in store for their students and the community.
In these upcoming weeks, Guam can expect events such as green night, which is this Saturday, along with a diversity celebration called Tritons out loud around the end of April and an eSport tournament set to be held at the Micronesia Mall and Tango Theaters.
