Campus Community Launches Pack’s Got Your Back Initiative
March 12, 2025 - Dorene DiNaro
Henry Ford, Ford Motor Company founder, once said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." As Lobos, we have a longstanding tradition of coming together, keeping together, and working together during times of significant stress.
In an effort to embrace those who might not be feeling the sense of belonging on campus that The University of New Mexico strives for and to reiterate that, as Lobos, we’re in this together and here for each other, a consortium of leaders from across campus have come together to launch the Pack’s Got Your Back initiative.
The idea came about after Dr. Sushilla Knottenbelt, interim associate dean for Student Success in the College of Arts and Sciences, hosted open forums for faculty and staff last month.
“During all three of our College of Arts and Sciences open forums in February, faculty and staff shared high levels of student stress and uncertainty,” Knottenbelt said. “We wondered what we could do to help our community, especially our students, know that we care about their well-being and are here for them when they need it.”
Knottenbelt brought the concerns to Dr. Eric Scott, vice president for Student Affairs, who had similar concerns about student belonging and well-being, and together they created a concept for outreach and affirmation across the UNM community.
“The concept is really very simple, we are a community where all are welcome and we strive to make it a place where everyone feels they belong,” Scott said. “By creating opportunities for positive interactions with other members of the campus community, offering a healthy snack, and providing information about critical campus resources for students, faculty, and staff, the initiative affirms a key principle of campus life at UNM—this is a special place, how we treat each other matters, and there are people and processes here to help.”
As word got out, faculty and staff from across campus began asking about ways to participate, and the initiative took off. “An incredible team of folks from every aspect of campus life turned it into reality in less than two weeks!” Knottenbelt said.
Leaders, volunteers, and support came from across academic departments, academic affairs, student service units, Health Sciences campus, Human Resources, Aramark, and UNM Food with an outstanding donation of healthy snacks to kick off the program.
The team decided they would set up on campus on various dates and locations, equipped with healthy snacks, coloring pages, crayons, buttons and information about resources to distribute to passers-by.
Scott and Knottenbelt kicked off the first event on Friday, March 7, near the Duck Pond. “I volunteered at the first of these events on Friday, and came away uplifted by the experience,” Knottenbelt said. “There was a strong atmosphere of good will and so many smiles – it was a no-strings attached, quick and simple opportunity to spread kindness and feel the warmth of human connection with our Lobo community.”
Several more Pack’s Got Your Back events are planned in the near future, and faculty and staff can visit the Pack’s Got Your Back website for dates, times, and a comprehensive list of resources.
