Getting in “The Zone”

The Zone, located across the hall from the bookstore, follows UVU’s mantra of engaged learning through art, the outdoors, food and more. Students are invited to participate in the free activities, which run Monday through Friday.

They are designed to help increase student involvement and pride in our university. Grant Flygare, program director of student involvement, helped create The Zone along with Cory Duckworth, then-vice president of student affairs.

[Duckworth’s] first example was of his son who went to Utah State University and wasn’t really getting integrated into the school; he wasn’t feeling like he was a part of it, said Flygare. Duckworth and Flygare worked together to brainstorm ideas on how to get students like his son more involved with their university. Flygare proposed the idea of a visible area on campus where students can walk up and participate without committing to additional classes and maybe learn a skill or hobby while they’re at it.

“We found after several different [activities] that some of them were sticking and we were getting a lot of students out to them,”” said Flygare. So, as we worked through this over several years and trying different things, we actually started using scholarships to hire students as leaders called Zone managers.”

Students involved in the Zone receive a scholarship and help coordinate activities and brainstorm new ideas. They are the “masterminds” behind a lot of the action. Also, organizations around campus can rent time slots in the Zone to showcase their activities and directly reach students. Program times change per semester, but they are generally each day from about 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“We plan activities for students to participate in. For example, I’m in charge of two of them this semester. One is Flippin’ Friday pancakes… The other one is called Studio Z. It’s one that we started last year and is one that we’ve been building upon,” said Mitch Summers, sophomore in biotech and a veteran Zone manager. “It’s Facebook live interviews. We really want to use this one to get students involved.”

Since its beginning, The Zone has found a permanent place in UVU life. There is something for everyone to enjoy, especially if clubs or sports are not your thing. If there is a free moment, stop by and try your hand at water color or speed carving.