AUK Honors Workers at Annual Labor Day Celebrations

The American University of Kuwait (AUK) commemorated International Labor Day by taking the opportunity to show appreciation to the campus' subcontracted workers for their commitment and dedication in maintaining University's facilities and security in an event that brought together the entire AUK community. At the event, faculty members and members of the administrative staff volunteered to assume some of the responsibilities of housekeeping, security, maintenance, landscaping, office facilitation, as well as those of the employees of some of the campus' vendors.

The day was officially inaugurated by Shirley Fox, Administrative Programs Officer at AUK, who organized the event and noted how much she loves Labor Day because it offers the chance for the community to acknowledge the sacrifices, hardships and the efforts invested by the staff to keep AUK safe and clean.

Hala Al-Abdulrazzaq, Assistant Director of the Academic Advising Center (AAC), was among the staff members who volunteered to cover a shift. Her duty was to be stationed at one of the campus' gates and spend a few hours as a member of AUK's security team. She explained that the experience made her realize the extent of the responsibilities faced by AUK's security teams on a daily basis. "During my two hour shift stationed at one of the campus gates, I realized the amount of patience the security team requires to manage their daily duties and the weight of their responsibilities. It is definitely not an easy job," she said.

In addition to the faculty and administrative staff volunteering to cover various duties across the campus, various activities were organized throughout the day that brought levity to the occasion and encouraged the workers from different areas to work together in teams. After the activities, Dr. Hanan Muzaffar, Dean of Student Affairs, distributed certificates of appreciation to the workers. AUKause and the Finance Club supported the event by supplying goodie bags to each participant, and the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs provided lunch for the workers and offered refreshments and snacks throughout the day. A raffle draw was also held for the workers, in which prizes such as 100 KD vouchers from the AUK Bookstore, tablets, DVD players, and more, were won. A movie night, sponsored by AUK's Writing Center, concluded the activity-filled day. Ms. Fox thanked the organizers and volunteers for making the day a success. "The Labor Day celebration would not have been possible without the help of all the volunteers who were extremely committed to the success of the Labor Day celebration," she said.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 31st May 2015

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2015