This summer, Barnhart residence hall will look a little brighter with colorful flowers decorating its perimeters.
That’s because a community in Barnhart—fourth floor on the south side—was awarded the Burt Brown Barker Award.
The award of more than $1,000 goes to a community in the residence halls that has achieved the highest collective grade point average, has no community damages and has maintained strong community engagement. The community can use the money for a speaker, a series of speakers, an event or program, or a service trip that promotes academic excellence in the residence hall community.
Barnhart Four South chose to use the money to complete a service project in which the residence hall community got together to plant flowers around the building earlier this month.
Barker is a former University of Oregon vice president and donor. In 1932, he donated the Pioneer Mother to the UO campus, a bronze sculpture he dedicated to his mother. Then, in the 1940s, Barker developed the Burt Brown Barker Award to recognize academic achievement in any university-owned sponsored residence hall.
Barker’s grandson, Mr. Herman, awarded the prize to the Barnhart community last week.
“My grandfather loved the university,” Herman said. “He loved being involved in it—and the award was a way for him, and us, to truly recognize academics. We’ll do this every year.”
Taylor Davis, one of the community members awarded the Barker Award, was proud to receive the recognition.
“It’s nice to be recognized for being motivated and focusing on academics,” Davis said.
Alex Henry, the resident assistant of Fourth Floor, said she was proud of her residents for their hard work.
“They’ve been really involved,” Henry said. “I’ve seen them use all sorts of resources here at the university—including getting help from tutors at the Teaching Learning Center and getting help from advisors. All these services helped them keep their high GPA, and it’s encouraging to know that they took advantage of all of that.”
- by Katherine Marrone, UO Housing