As the "premiere programming board at Saint Mary's College," Student Activities Board (SAB) has combined tradition with creativity and looked for outside inspiration, SAB president Liz Kraig said.
"We wanted to maintain the popularity of traditional events, bring in new events and collaborate with different campuses," she said.
Schwab said the group's goal was to gather more student feedback on programming.
"This was the first year we sent out a survey for Tostal, asking who girls would be interested in having," Kraig said. "It was nice to get the feedback to see who girls would like to bring most to campus.
Kraig said SAB's biggest event this year was the community Winter Wonderland.
"It's our annual give-back event," she said. "[Guests] can bring their families, siblings. It's just a fun-filled event for families that may not be able to buy things for Christmas for their families."
Both Kraig and Schwab serve on Co-Campus Committee, a group of students from local colleges, including Saint Mary's, Notre Dame, Holy Cross College, Indiana University South Bend and Ivy Tech Community College.
Kraig said the Committee has facilitated community outreach through a Halloween party and community luncheon. Now in its third year, Kraig said the event expanded with involvement by the Co-Campus Committee.
"[Member schools] brought in their own students, as well as their own games and crafts," she said. "IUSB's Disney Club had someone [play the part of] Santa."
Kraig said she hopes to continue this collaboration.
"This was the first time we were really able to focus on the goal of incorporating the other campuses, not just Notre Dame but IUSB and Ivy Tech, too," she said.
SAB kicked off the year with Belles Bash, a luau-themed event that included inflatables, an appearance by DJ Rough Cut and snow cones, Kraig said. Smaller-scale events were held at the beginning of the semester as well, including a bow-making event to promote the Belles cross country team and the Notre Dame football team prior to the Michigan game.
Throughout the year, SAB hosts Sundaes on Sunday, a movie screening series that has included titles such as "The Holiday" and "Snow White and the Huntsman," Kraig said.
Looking to next semester, Kraig said SAB is looking forward to Midnight Madness, a traditional school-wide event promoting class unity that includes the announcement of the Tostal performing artist.
Leading up to Midnight Madness, Kraig said smaller events are scheduled to help classes earn points for the main event.
"So far, we've done Balloon Bombardment ... where seniors got points for the most participation and the Turkey Bowl," she said. "It's our flag football tournament, which was even featured on the video for the [College's] capital campaign, which is exciting."
