If students are looking for something to do, all they need is to open their eyes and take a look at their surroundings.
Throughout first semester, the Student Programming Board has been planning activities to give students fun things to do and to get them more involved. “We try to do new things to get the students involved,” said Christine Kassatly, treasurer of the Student Programming Board.
So far, the Student Programming Board has been holding weekly movie shows at either the University Center or in the little theater of Alumni Hall. These movies are free to students and run twice daily on Thursdays at 3 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. The movies are newer ones, such as “Mission Impossible 2,” which are not yet released on video. These movies will be run second semester also.
For Halloween, the board held a Freak Week. During this time, students were given the opportunity to get candy apples, make wax hands and do pumpkin painting.
Novelty activities such as Freak Week, Blast from the Past Week (where each day was themed with a different decade, and “make your own things” are generally popular with the student body.
“Those things always go over very well,” said Joni Alesevich, assistant to the director of student activities. “Students are always there. They’re always doing things.”
Another aspect of the Student Programming Board is its co-sponsorships. During Women’s History Month it helps to bring a speaker to campus. A comedian is brought in for Hispanic month.
This will also be the third year that the board will have African story telling for St. John the Baptist grammar school in honor of Black History Month.
According to Matt Simon, vice president of the Student Programming Board, a favorite activity among students was the karaoke in Marillac. “People were lined up for songs all day,” Simon said.
The time needed to plan each activity depends on the actual event itself.
“The more time you put into it, the better it usually works,” Simon said.
With the first semester coming to a close, the Student Programming Board has been getting a good response from students.
“Students have been very active and involved here on campus,” Kassatly said. “Everything has been successful and well so far and hopefully it continues to be successful.”
“Everyone seems to like the activities we do,” said Simon.
In February, it will host the semi-formal. Students can also look forward to April’s Spring Fling and the end of the year.
With many of the current members being seniors, recruitment is something that is being looked at for the future.
“We’d like to see more people involved,” Simon said.
Anyone wishing to find out more information on activities, the Student Programming Board itself, or would like to give suggestions is more than welcome to do so.
“We always encourage as many people as we can to come to meetings” Alesevich said.
Meetings are held every other Tuesday during common hour at the Student Programming Office on the second floor of the UC.
