One of the things the BYUtv network does before every Cougars' game is put together a feature on the opponent's campus that week
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:03 - The University of Arkansas is so proud
00:05 to be part of the Fayetteville community.
00:08 - I think when people think of Arkansas,
00:10 they don't necessarily think of diversity,
00:12 but here in Northwest Arkansas, it's incredibly diverse.
00:15 - I was definitely shocked kind of the first time
00:17 I came here, just there's so much like blending
00:20 of cultures, it's just beautiful to see.
00:24 - It really goes to show that we do prioritize inclusion
00:28 here in the university and we're making strides
00:31 along that road.
00:32 - My name is Charles Robinson.
00:36 I am the Chancellor of the University of Arkansas.
00:39 I will have over 32,000 students in September.
00:43 I've got 5,000 faculty and staff.
00:46 I've got hundreds of thousands of alums.
00:50 I think that I'm in a place to help a lot of people
00:52 and I'm very, very appreciative of that.
00:55 - Half of this floor is a multicultural center.
00:57 This is where I like to hang out.
01:00 This is where I've met a lot of friends.
01:02 - So my name's Sherjeel Naeem.
01:03 I am a cross-cultural education mentor,
01:05 or CCM for short for the cross-cultural mentor.
01:08 Essentially what we do is that we are the first friends
01:13 for a lot of the international students that come here.
01:15 We're the ones that show them around campus.
01:18 We try to acclimate them here to life at the university,
01:21 to life in America in general, because for a lot of them,
01:23 this is the first time that they've ever been to America.
01:27 We don't want students to be alone or feel isolated.
01:31 We want people to know that they are valued,
01:34 they are welcomed, and they belong
01:36 at the University of Arkansas.
01:38 - My family are immigrants from Pakistan,
01:40 both of my parents, and talking to my parents growing up
01:43 about their struggles integrating here,
01:46 finding a place for themselves here,
01:48 I can understand where all of these international students
01:52 are coming from whenever they talk to us
01:53 about their worries, about their concerns,
01:55 about their fear of not finding a place for themselves
01:59 here at the university, here in Arkansas, here in America.
02:02 And that was probably the biggest reason
02:04 why I decided to become a cross-cultural mentor.
02:06 It's sort of a way to honor my parents,
02:08 because I know that if they had an opportunity like this
02:12 where they could have been aided by people like me
02:14 and people like the other CCMs, they would have loved it,
02:16 they would have treasured it.
02:18 - Really, Shergill is like the cross-cultural mentor to me,
02:21 and just always so excited to meet new students
02:25 and to create that sense of welcome for them,
02:29 and really that first point of interaction.
02:32 - Everything that I've been doing here
02:33 at the University of Arkansas is essentially a foundation,
02:36 a stepping stone for what I would like to do
02:38 with the rest of my career,
02:40 with the rest of my future endeavors.
02:42 - The University of Arkansas cares deeply
02:47 about having a campus community that embraces everyone.
02:51 - You know, if I ever need like patience or guidance
03:03 or, you know, just like I need perseverance,
03:05 I pray to God to, you know, guide me.
03:09 He's probably the first person that I talk to, you know.
03:12 - This mosque was built upon the request of Muslim students
03:15 that had lobbied the university to be able
03:17 to provide a space for them
03:18 and to be able to make this building for them.
03:21 And, you know, it shows that the university cares
03:23 about including the perspectives
03:26 of the various different faith communities here.
03:28 - We have programming that tries to connect students
03:32 from different cultures, different backgrounds,
03:35 where students can create them and find community
03:40 as they define community.
03:42 - I helped found the Arkansas Interfaith Coalition, the AIC.
03:46 We try to build bridges
03:48 between the different religious communities here on campus.
03:51 And we try to work against a lot of the ignorance
03:54 and prejudice that there may be against people
03:56 from different religious backgrounds.
03:58 You know, education is probably the greatest tool
04:00 to combat ignorance, and that was our main goal.
04:03 So this is just the inside of the masjid.
04:05 We call it masjid in Arabic, the mosque.
04:08 You know, the mosque and me
04:10 and the rest of the Muslim community here,
04:12 we strive to, you know, not only just stay
04:15 within our little niche that we have right here.
04:17 You know, we try to do outreach.
04:19 We try to connect others, and we try to serve others
04:22 because I can't truly call myself a Muslim
04:24 if I don't do that, if I don't serve others.
04:27 You know, like the literal meaning of Muslim,
04:30 you know, Muslim is an Arabic word.
04:32 It means, it translates to someone
04:34 who submits themselves to God, you know?
04:36 And so when we submit ourselves to God,
04:38 not only do we follow like the bare practices,
04:41 like praying and fasting and whatnot, right?
04:43 But also seeing God in every person, you know,
04:47 understanding that the divine resides
04:49 within the heart of every human being.
04:51 - I completely and very sincerely value Sir Jill
04:56 and others like him who are working to help students
05:01 find community on this campus
05:03 because they care deeply about others
05:06 and they want other people to have the same feeling
05:09 and experience about the university that they do.
05:12 So, I mean, go Hogs.
05:14 That's what I'm gonna say about that
05:16 'cause that's what Hogs do.
05:17 We help and support one another
05:19 and make sure everyone has as much
05:21 as we can give them to be successful.
05:23 - It allows me to be more connected to my faith,
05:25 I would say.
05:26 It allows me to be more connected
05:28 to the Muslim community in general
05:30 because I think a lot of people forget
05:33 how closely intertwined religion and culture are.
05:36 And so being able to like observe that
05:38 while being away from my family,
05:40 it's really nice.
05:41 It gives me a sense of,
05:43 it increases that sense of belonging.
05:45 (gentle music)
05:47 (gentle music)
05:50 (music fades)
05:53 [BLANK_AUDIO]