Story by Madeline Meyer
Photo by Morgan Dezenski
What do hypnotists, foam dance and street painting have in common? They are all events put on by the Student Activities Board and are completely free to Drake University students.
“We serve the largest population of students, a lot of organizations are really specific for people who are into different things but our aim is to reach every student and provide entertainment and enlightenment for every Drake student,” said junior Carly Noyes, secretary of the Student Activities Board.
Paid for by student activity fees, SAB promotes different functions and educational seminars throughout Drake. The Student Activities Board sets itself apart from other organizations on campus because it is linked with student senate. SAB has 19 executive members as well as seven withstanding committees. Throughout the year, the organization oversees programing for big events such as Drake Relays and Homecoming.
The president of the Student Activities Board is also the vice president of student activities in the Student Senate and is a paid position. The vice president of student activities is elected by the student body. Current president, junior Carly Kinzler has been involved with SAB and Student Senate since she was a first-year.
“The reason that the position is paid is because you are really held accountable. A lot of responsibility is on this position,” Kinzler said.
The Student Activities Board is one of the most well-funded groups on campus and has the highest promotional budget from Student Senate. The budget for this year is capped at $152,000. Since the organization has a full time adviser, Eric Gudmundson, the Student Activities Board is able to spend the money allocated toward the organization appropriately.
“It has a more formal structure than other organizations on campus because of the amount of money and the amount of responsibility we have to spend that money wisely,” Kinzler said.
Primarily money spent goes toward bringing acts to campus, such as famous comedians and speakers. SAB puts on over 40 to 50 programs throughout the year ranging from speakers about global issues, magicians, comedians, concerts and even a film festival. Its focus is to provide events for every student, and is trying to be more diverse in scheduling activities.
“We are definitely trying to be innovative and come up with new ideas and different populations to reach and keep things fresh,” Noyes said.
Sophomore Natalie Larson was elected vice president of student activities and president of the Student Activities Board for the 2013-2014 academic year. She said she has three goals for her upcoming leadership role. Diverse programming is one of these goals, along with collaborating more with other organizations on campus to incorporate student feedback into campus programming.
The Student Activities Board actively seeks out student’s opinions on campus to accurately cater to students interests. In addition, many of the Student Activities Board events are traditions, like street painting and the hypnotist at the beginning of the year.
“This week we have a first-year survey coming out meant specifically for first-year students about what they like and what they would like to see,” said first-year programming representative Emily Callen. “We want to have events that not only we think are great but people on campus think we are great too.”
Events by SAB are posted each month on its Facebook page. Currently, the board is focusing its efforts on Relays, which consists of three weeks of programming, with the most costly event being the Court Avenue parade. The board is also adding two additional events this year, a 3k mud run and community service program.
“Keep an eye out for events and like our Facebook page,” Kinzler said. “It is a struggle because we are constantly bombarded with different posters from great organizations, but keep an eye out for what is coming, and get excited for Relays.”
