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Tea Time

 

Stanley and King Awarded URSA’s 2024-25 Student Belonging and Community Award for “Tea Time” Project

 

The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity (URSA) is excited to announce the recipients of the 2024-25 Student Belonging and Community Award, English Department Chair and Associate Professor Sarah Stanley and undergraduate student Naomi King. Their project, titled Tea Time – Cultivating Community and Creativity in English Studies, aims to establish a dedicated space for English majors at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to connect, exchange ideas, and foster deeper engagement with literature, applied research, and creative expression.

Fostering Belonging Through Literary Gatherings

Stanley and King’s Tea Time project builds on a tradition of informal gatherings to create community and promote dialogue, providing students with a warm, communal space on the newly designed 8th floor of the Gruening Building. Monthly events will be held, focusing on the role of literary studies and on nurturing relationships among students, faculty, and the broader academic community. Naomi King reflects on the importance of this project, saying, “The attendance at our first meeting has confirmed for me how necessary community is in the English department. There’s a reason literature clubs have existed for centuries! Bonding over books can create meaningful and thought-provoking relationships that impact generations long after. Plus, there's nothing quite like the uniting, amicable warmth of discussions over tea.”

For Sarah Stanley, Tea Time has inspired a fresh approach to teaching her upcoming Writing and the Humanities course. “This student-centered, audience-based course explores how shared rituals, like tea, foster connection and community across cultures. By gathering over tea, students investigate tea’s role as a cultural touchstone while honing rhetorical strategies for active citizenship. They will engage with themes of ritual, tradition, and community,” she said, adding that these monthly gatherings “provide a space for dialogue, identity affirmation, and empathy.”

From Classroom to Communal Tea Time

The idea of integrating tea and community was bolstered when Stanley connected with a local donor at a First Friday event, resulting in the gift of a tea set for 15—a meaningful addition to the project. The first Tea Time event, a Halloween-themed gathering inspired by Agatha Christie’s novel Hallowe’en Party and the tea brand Harney & Sons, was a great success, drawing 14 attendees. Stanley’s excitement for the project’s growth is shared by King, who looks forward to November’s event and hopes the gatherings “encourage other students to seek opportunities of belonging.”

51�������� the Student Belonging and Community Award

URSA’s Student Belonging and Community Award supports initiatives that emphasize community, belonging, and student success at 51�������� and its affiliated campuses. Priority for funding is given to projects that align with 51��������’s goals of fostering a culture of respect and connection. This award acknowledges the vital role that belonging and social integration play in student success, self-worth, and motivation. It further enables initiatives that spark dialogue on diverse issues and foster compassion, gratitude, and a shared commitment to the 51�������� community.

Through Tea Time, Stanley and King exemplify the spirit of URSA’s mission by creating opportunities for students to connect in ways that enrich their academic and personal lives, promoting a strong sense of belonging and camaraderie within 51��������’s English department. Watch for the next Tea Time event, happening on November 21st.