On Thursday, Jan. 18, Texas A&M’s Division of Student Affairs, or DSA, celebrated 50 years with a birthday bash held in Rudder Plaza. 

The birthday bash consisted of tables representing all offices under DSA, including Student Affairs Planning, Assessment and Research. Each table had activities for students to complete, food, prizes and more.

Associate Director of Student Affairs Planning, Assessment and Research Kelly Cox said she implemented one project the office has been working on into the activity for her table. 

“We have questions about student well-being, and you can guess what percent of students you think fit those questions,” Cox said. “When we open the question flap, you can see the answer.” 

DSA Assessment Coordinator Gabrielle Tharp said this activity gives students a chance to see how fellow students are faring 

“… I think a lot of people think, ‘Oh, I’m the only one struggling,’” Tharp said. “It shows that a lot of students are actually struggling, and we can help connect them with the resources they need.” 

Construction science sophomore Oscar Ramirez said he recently started at A&M and was interested in attending the event. 

“I looked on the Instagram page, and I saw there was a bunch of free stuff they were giving out,” Ramirez said. “This event is a nice warm welcoming type of event and nice how you can go up to anybody.” 

Psychology freshman Denisse Aguilar said the large attendance at the event encouraged her to come.

“I was just walking from class, and I also love when they give out free things and what they have,” Aguilar said. “The large crowd attracted me.” 

The birthday bash made her want to look into what the Student Affairs is all about, Aguilar said.

“I have never engaged with the offices here before, but I want to look into them more,” Aguilar said. “This event does help cause I didn’t realize how much they had.”

Vice President of Student Affairs Joe Ramirez said the purpose of DSA is to serve students.

“That’s what we do everyday, focusing on our students and making sure our students are getting the best experiences possible here at A&M,” Ramirez said. 

Ramirez said he wants the division to continue to grow. 

“I’m really excited about looking into the future, and all the things that are ahead for the university because students want to come here,” Ramirez said. “We as a division must stay attuned to what their needs are and what their wants are and every generation has different needs and different wants and wants different experiences. It’s important for the division to ensure we have all the services and facilities and programs to support our students ensuring they’re getting the best experience at Texas A&M.”

The birthday bash is a great way to tell their story, Ramirez said.

“[The birthday bash] is a way to tell people on campus what student affairs is and what we do,” Ramirez said. “Part of this was designed to make sure the student body understands we cover a lot of territory on campus, all designed to help our students.”