Allocations for members of the Student Activities Board to attend the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) regional and national conferences prompted the most discussion among senators at last Thursday’s session.
The conferences allow Vice President of Student Activities Jessica Hamilton and other members of SAB to attend learning sessions, meet other campus programming boards and book campus entertainment at a discounted price.
“It is basically vital for this organization to attend this so they can plan for the next semester,“ Sen. Michael Riebel said.
Sen. Riebel attended the conference last year along with fellow senator Carly Kinzler.
“I think this gives us a better opportunity to bring diverse acts,” Kinzler said.
Sen. Sam Pritchard urged senators to think critically about the types of programming that is brought to campus through the NACA conferences.
“We absolutely need to…take a look at quality programming versus number of programming,” Sen. Pritchard said.
Sen. Nate Bleadorn said he’d rather see more effort dedicated to boosting attendance rather than bringing more programming to campus.
“Attendance with SAB events, along with a lot of other events on campus, has been struggling,” he said.
“Every single event, attendance has been up,” said Hamilton of the attendance at event.
Student Senate ultimately passed the allocation of $2,358 for Hamilton and two SAB members to attend the NACA National Conference in Charlotte, N.C. An additional $2,063.56 was allocated for VP Hamilton and three SAB members to attend the NACA Regional Conference in St. Paul, Minn.
Two new student organizations were also approved in Thursday’s session. International Traders of Iowa and Phi Delta Epsilon, a “social, medical, professional fraternity,” passed by unanimous vote.
Senators postponed the approval of another new organization, Christians United for Israel, until a representative from the organization could be present to speak and answer questions.
Previous notice was also served on a motion by the Diversity Interest Senators to remove themselves from service on the Campus Advancement Committee and the Student Services Committee. They have elected to stay on the Student Fees Allocation Committee.
Senators also discussed the Fireside Chat with President David Maxwell, held on Nov. 16. Suggestions for improvement included holding the event in a different venue and giving future events a theme.
“We want to get as many people there as possible and get as many questions answered as possible,” Student Body President Greg Larson said.
I agree with Senator Pritchard. Quality trumps quantity regarding campus activities. For a second it seemed like there was a glimmer of hope for improved events on campus.
During my years at Drake I have seen a strange mix of events on campus, and I’ve also been aware of opportunities that have slipped away due to a poorly allocated budget and irrelevant events already scheduled.
I know artists who have gone through the NACA conference and have seen both sides. It allows b-list talent to get pushed through the college circuit to get some students to an event on some night during the week.
What about bigger concerts like when Motion City Soundtrack played in the Knapp Center? Why can’t we shoot for events that would actually excite students rather than being “something to do” because we’re not feeling Apples to Apples in the dorm again?
I would strongly urge SAB to look beyond the NACA entertainment buffet and invest in talent that is relevant! What about Des Moines talent? We have great local bands that could put on an amazing show and also connect with our community. Even beyond music, SAB could expose students to the talent of the surrounding area.
To clarify, this article says that SAB was granted a total of $4000+ to attend the conference(s)? At least some students are enjoying use of our activity fees.