How the Hilltop Fosters Expression and Civic Engagement
For decades, the hilltop has been a place of expression — expression through art, music, fashion, religion, etc. In February, two university groups created platforms for students, faculty and staff to express themselves through music and spoken word, reminding the community of the power of their voices.
Music Returns to the Carriage House
On September 17, 2025, the Kozmetsky Center for Civic Engagement moved its headquarters to the newly renovated and historic Carriage House, which was once a home for music classes on the hilltop. The Kozmetsky Center is the heart of civic engagement on campus, where students help connect the community to the tools they need to be active citizens.
Executive Director of the Kozmetsky Center and Associate Professor of Political Science, David Thomason, advises students on how to encourage the broader student population to engage in politics and make a difference. His background in developing relationships with legislators and creating strategies for grassroots organizing and lobbying has helped guide the center’s student-led advocacy and public issues activities.
The first student-led activity of The Kozmetsky Center’s spring series brought familiar sounds of music back to the Carriage House with “Music & the First Amendment, connecting the First Amendment to aspects of everyday life.
“Music, I believe, is the language of God,” David Thomason, Executive Director of the Kozmetsky Center, said. “Music is in the DNA of American democracy.”
With a record player set up in the building, students, faculty, and staff were encouraged to bring their own vinyls and share music with the community. The sunny February day was accompanied by songs from artists like Bad Bunny, N.W.A., Selena, KISS, Kendrick Lamar, Green Day and Prince. The student-led radio station, Topper Radio, discussed the significance of college radio stations and DJ Swayer from Klbj-Am Newsradio 590 emceed with Kozmetsky interns.
“There’s such an interesting conversation going on about the role of music and whether or not the government should have any role in regulating it,” junior political science major and Kozmetsky Intern Sofia Sanchez said. “I think that fundamentally it (music) is speech and there should be limited regulation on music for that reason, so we're just kind of asking people, do you think that music is protectable?”
Students who stopped by the event had the opportunity to learn about Supreme Court cases in which music is protected under the First Amendment and were provided with blank maracas to decorate and take home. For some students, the event was more than just listening to music.
“I come from a very musically gifted family on both my mother's and father’s side,” accounting major Micahela Monore said. “My mother, my grandfather, and my grandmother were all avid record album collectors. Music is the first form of vocal and really physical expressions; so it helps to really set the tone for having a protest.”
The Kozmetsky Center continues its spring series with events encouraging students to be active changemakers in their communities.
Celebrating Black Voices
The Coalition for Black Faculty and Staff's mission is to connect, celebrate and advocate for Black colleagues across campus.
The national organization, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, announced the 2026 Black History Month theme as “A Century of Black History Commemorations.” To honor this year’s theme, the Coalition for Black Faculty and Staff hosted its third Black Voices Read-In at the Munday Library on February 12, focusing on “Black Love.”
The library was filled with the scents of gumbo and the voices of students, faculty, and staff sharing passages and lyrics from Black artists such as Toni Morrison, Erick B. & Rakim, and Maya Angelou. Attendees also shared some of their original works and lyrics from songs that spoke to them.
Christien’s Gourmet Pralines, a small black-owned business in Cedar Park known for its New Orleans menu, catered the event. Guests indulged in authentic Creole and Cajun flavors, like red beans and rice and bread pudding, as they attentively listened to each selection, often bearing much emotion in each word.
Guests were invited to present a passage and share how it resonated with them. Associate Vice President for Development, Gregory Perrin, read a passage from “On the Pulse of Morning” by Maya Angelou.
…You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought,
Sold, stolen, arriving on the nightmare
Praying for a dream.
Here, root yourselves beside me.
I am that Tree planted by the River,
Which will not be moved.
Community members in attendance shared their thoughts on an interactive poster featuring cutout hearts. Each heart included different prompts like “To my ‘chosen family’ on campus, thank you for…”; “A song that captures the rhythm of my heart,”; and “In a world that demands your labor, how do you show love to your rest and joy?”
The posterboard remains on display in the library as a reminder to students that they belong to a legacy “rooted in, sustained in, and destined for Love.”
As the courtyard overflowed with the soundtracks of protest and as the library echoed with words of historical advocates and artists, we’re reminded that music and rhetoric not only uplift voices but allow students, faculty and staff to join in community.
