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Printer-Friendly ModeProgram Board opens new year
October 12, 2009 —
If you pay someone to do a job, you probably want to make sure it’s done right.
Program Board, a student-run organization on campus designed to plan activities for students, derives its funding from a percentage of student tuition each year. According to Ashlie Tillman, education junior and treasurer of the organization, its budget is between $30,000 and $40,000 a year.
“Everything we do is free [for students],” said John Reno, the electrical engineering junior who serves as president of Program Board.
Activities put on by the board this year include a hypnotist event, a homecoming kick-off party and a variety show. Future events include a fall festival at night on Oct. 17 in the Student Activities Room and the annual Winter Carnival scheduled for the week before Family Weekend.
But its plans don’t always require large sums of money. For one event, Program Board has placed a bid in to have SVSU in the Guinness Book of World Records. The plan is to get students joined in the courtyard to break the record of 500 people doing the hokey-pokey at the same time. This plan is not finalized.
At tailgating for the Oct. 17 football game, Program Board will provide an eagle piñata to get students in the spirit to beat the Ashland Eagles.
“Anyone that wants to come and hit the piñata can come and hit the piñata,” said Reno.
Program Board went on a retreat this summer and made a list of goals for the year that hangs on the office wall to remind its members.
“We want to do more stuff during the day to get commuters involved,” Reno said.
Before they schedule a program, the general assembly must propose, discuss and vote on the idea. Any student can get involved; all have been granted access to the Program Board section on VSpace site and can see its budget and spending.
Reno said it will be updated Tuesday to take record of the busy season the board has already had this year.
General assembly meetings are open to all students. Reno explained that all students can come and voice their opinions or offer ideas. After attending two consecutive meetings, students earn the right to vote.
But Program Board doesn’t just exist to make events on its own — it’s also a resource. Reno said they enjoy working with other registered student organizations, or RSOs, to help them plan programs they might not have funding to do otherwise.
Students who want their voice heard can attend the weekly program meeting, held every Wednesday at 10 p.m. in Curtiss Hall’s Alumni Lounge.