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Friday, March 29, 2024
The Observer

SUB reps pick up new lessons at conference

The Student Union Board (SUB) sent five student representatives and three Student Activities Office (SAO) representatives to St. Louis, Mo., to participate in an annual convention hosted by the National Association for Campus Activities last weekend. The convention primarily focused on showcasing up-and-coming artists, but also hosted several educational sessions to benefit both student leaders and university staff. Sessions covered topics ranging from "'How to plan a successful lecture' to 'How to recruit and retain volunteers,'" said SUB Board Manager Phillip Ross. "Although much of the conference focused on showcasing novel talent, each day we went to one or two educational sessions," Ross said. "Some of them focused on leadership, but others offered guidance on the actual logistics of planning events. "Learning to plan further in advance, communicate effectively, and organize a team to work in harmony with purpose all should not only help plan the best events but also can help strengthen the members of [Notre Dame's] delegation to become better leaders all over campus."The sessions were led by student activities' advisors, graduate assistants, talent agency staff and administrators "from schools all over the country," Ross said. Ross attended a lecture by an advisor of Xavier University's Student Activities Council and from a member of the University of Delaware's student activities office. "The workshops on programming concerts were often lead by professional agents," Ross said. While representatives from many universities were at the conference, Notre Dame's programming seemed to be "very competitive," Ross said. "There were very few times when we thought, 'Wow, why can't we do that?' Our line-up seemed like some of the best out there." SUB left the conference with "many new ideas and ways to improve our programming and publicity," Ross said.  "Some of our favorites include mini-contests to attract people to events and to make better alliances with campus media in order to promote our events. One school covered their basketball arena with tarp and held a food fight for charity. Several schools also had tips on artist hospitality and ways to improve the inner organization of SUB."  SUB will host the 50th annual Collegiate Jazz Festival this weekend in Washington Hall. "[SUB] hopes to have a couple of concerts and comedians both in Legends and in other venues on campus. "We're working on a Chicago trip to see a Broadway musical or a baseball game, and possibly a St. Patrick's Day celebration. Our semester will end with a bang with AnTostal, the spring festival, during the last week of April," Ross said.