UNC Asheville freshmen are about to trade in their back-to-school fashions for safety orange
t-shirts and work gloves.

The University will celebrate its decade-long tradition of introducing freshmen to community service through a massive community work day Tuesday, Sept. 12. This 10th annual event will send some 650 students, faculty and staff into Asheville to perform some 2,600 hours of community service.

Formerly known as Bulldog Day, UNC Asheville’s Active Citizenship Together (ACT) in Asheville Day brings together the University with the City of Asheville to tackle local revitalization and beautification projects.

“UNC Asheville is part of the community and we want to emphasize that to our students,” said Merritt Moseley, UNC Asheville professor of literature and language and one of the original organizers of the community service day. “At the end of the day September 12, students will have connected with the community as well as made a real difference.”

Some 600 freshman and 50 faculty and staff volunteers will take on a wide range of projects. Teams will fan out along the Swannanoa River from Biltmore Village to the Western North Carolina Nature Center to collect trash while others will spread mulch at City parks and remove invasive plants at the City’s Public Works Facility.

“The City is always wishing for more volunteers to work on these kinds of projects,” said Richard Grant, City of Asheville Interim Public Works Director. “The large number of volunteers participating in ACT in Asheville Day is just really, really great. The students will be able to get a lot of work done. Drivers along the Swannanoa River will especially notice a difference at the end of the day.”

ACT in Asheville Day begins at 8:30 a.m. on the UNC Asheville Quad, where Chancellor Anne Ponder and Asheville Vice Mayor Holly Jones will speak to the service teams. Students and their leaders will then depart for their projects. Work groups will return to campus around 1 p.m. for lunch together on the Quad.