Share a meal. Build community. That was at the forefront when Dr. Antwone Cameron, associate vice president and dean of students, decided to bring The Longest Table to the University of Memphis campus.
“This was a dream of mine to do since I got here,” Cameron said. “To see it happen so quickly is a testament to what this University stands for. Today is about something very simple but powerful. It’s about connection.”
Felix Banning-Peprah, senior architecture and interior design major, who moved to Memphis from Ghana, echoed those same sentiments saying, “I attended the event to get to know other students and to build connections.”
The Longest Table originated in New York and has since grown across the U.S., including being hosted on college campuses. The University of Memphis event seated 300 with a table that spanned almost 300 feet.
Cameron noted that a recent survey he saw reported that loneliness is something faced by college students and he wanted to help combat that through an event. “We wanted to have alumni, community partners, faculty, staff and students all come together to show how great our community is.”
One of those alumni, Melvin Guy (BS ’08), realtor and managing broker for Reid Realtors, said a personal invite from Linda Hall, associate dean for Student Advocacy and Support, convinced him the event was great way to connect with students and reconnect with other alumni.
“I’m someone who likes to stay connected with the community, and any opportunity to come back to campus and see what’s going on and to see alumni and meet students, I try to take advantage of it,” Guy said.
Zaria Golden, a freshman biology major, attended the event with a friend and said, “I enjoyed it, it was very social and illuminating.”
