Students Show Their Maverick Spirit at Return of UTA Libraries Mum Mania

The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries joined the UTA Homecoming festivities with the return of Mum Mania on Nov. 9.

The event invites students to make their own mums with Libraries-supplied materials, including ribbons, beads, flowers, and more, and coincides with the annual Maverick spirit week.

“We are thrilled to see students return with heart to our Mum Mania event,” said Rebecca Bichel, Dean of UTA Libraries. “Our staff have been diligently planning to create a safe and fun event, and it is exciting to see the students’ Homecoming spirit in Central Library.”

Members of the Homecoming Court came to the third floor of Central Library to join in the fun. While both Allison Valdez and Zane Benavidez-Martinez have made mums before, they came to Mum Mania hoping to make a lot more.

“[I want to make] memories, really,” Valdez said. “This is a big thing for homecoming—being able to show off your spirit through your mum.”

Both agree that engaging in events like spirit week can reap immeasurable rewards for students.

“It opens doors for you, not only professionally, but…you make friends,” Valdez said. “You’re able to figure out why you love UTA and make it a home for yourself.”

“I think this is especially crucial in the UTA community,” Benavidez-Martinez said. “We don’t have a football team, but that doesn’t mean we have to lack any school spirit.”

Valdez, a senior studying finance, can’t believe she was nominated for the court at all.

“Honestly, I was shocked to be nominated,” Valdez said. “It’s just unreal because you don’t really expect it but you hope for it, so being able to say you’re on the court is just really exciting because you get to represent everything you were involved with on campus.”

Benavidez-Martinez, an Education and History senior who is also involved in Student Senate, EXCEL, and Ambassadors, has been preparing for this moment since he was a freshman.

“I’m flabbergasted but not surprised, just because I’ve been working up for this,” Benavidez-Martinez said. “I want to showcase that no matter where you come from, what community you’re a part of, you’re still able to push through every barrier that’s put in your way.

“I’m from the Hispanic community, the LGBTQ+ community, the Survivor community—and I just want to show people you can start all over when you’re 20, when you’re 30, 40, 50.”

Students from across campus joined Valdez and Benavidez-Martinez in making mums for more than three hours at Central Library. Photos from the event can be viewed on the Libraries Flickr account.