The social scene tends to really pick up around this time of year. It seems like there is so much happening on campus. This past week SHAC (Student Health Advisory Committee) put on Sex Week and NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers) put on NSBE Week. The week ended on Friday and Saturday with a number of great programs including Olinpalooza by the Olin Business Council, the Vagina Monologues, Going Pro by the Amateurs, the Drag Show by Pride Alliance, the Red Light Special Valentines Day Party by ABS (Association of Black Students), and a performance by the Pikers and Mama’s Pot Roast in Ursas.
I was interested in attending all of these programs, but couldn’t because nearly all of them conflicted with each other. Many of the things happening for NSBE Week conflicted with great events that SHAC was putting on for Sex Week. I couldn’t see my friends in the Amateurs perform because I went to Olinpalooza on Friday and the ABS Party on Saturday. It certainly is in no way a school wide concern when I can’t attend all the campus events that I want to attend, but I do think that this weekend is a prime example of how over-programmed our campus is sometimes.
Attending programs and events on campus is an integral part of the WU Experience. SU funds so many student groups(220+) because we feel that quality programs like the ones put on this past weekend greatly enhance the lives of students. I think there is a legitimate concern when a student who has paid her activities fee cannot attend all of the events that the fee covers. Student Union and Student Groups have an obligation to program responsibly so that there aren’t weekends where 10 events are happening in one night, and other weekends where nothing is happening at all.
I don’t think our student groups are to blame for the over-programming on campus. Student Union must guide them and provide the necessary resources to help them program in a cost efficient and responsible way so that our students can get the most bang for their buck. Since Spark died (RIP), its hard for groups to program responsibly because they don’t know when other groups are doing things. Its also hard for students to make the most of their experience by attending as many program as possible because they don’t know what all is happening. Facebook Events have been a decent temporary fix, but SU and the University need to provide a replacement for Spark and a way for groups and students to see when events are happening on campus (wink wink).
Well, its coming! Programming on campus has been great this year, and I hope to see the same level continue in the future. The addition of a new Calendar of Events will improve the accessibility of these great programs in the future. I would like to see SU empower student groups more and work more closely with them on PR and programming. One of our goals is to be more intentional about shaping the everyday lives of students and their experience on campus. I think bringing a new calendar and promoting more responsible programming will set us up to do that.
Peace,
Jeff
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