A couple weeks after your first semester at FAU commences, you may begin noticing strange things as you walk past the General Classroom South building, such as a huge inflatable bounce house or an old-fashioned dunk tank. Or you might pass by Wackadoo’s Restaurant in the University Center one day and hear the muffled sounds of students warbling karaoke tunes.
And you’ll probably wonder who’s behind all this mirth and merriment. If you guess it’s a bunch of old FAU officials whose sole purpose in life is to organize student entertainment, you’ll be wrong.
Diversions such as these are actually held by Program Board, a group of FAU students who put on about 85 events every year, most of which are attended by at least a couple hundred people, board members say.
“A lot of people don’t realize these are students putting on all this stuff,” senior Basma Ibrahim says. “This semester we want people to know who we are and what we can do for them.”
The board is made up of seven committees, each of which is chaired by a student who is responsible for planning and actualizing his or her group’s events.
The committees are: Concert and Music, which books musical acts, Showcase, which organizes comedy and talent shows, Special Events, which is to blame for those colorful bounce houses and other fun events, Lectures and Movies, which brings in guest speakers and provides free movie nights on campus, Advertising, which gives away Program Board promotional materials such as hats and T-shirts, Non Traditional, which caters to students who are 24 and older, take evening classes, or have families, and finally, Cultural and Stepshow, which plans cultural events.
“We try and target every student in some way,” Ibrahim says.
The board’s largest annual event is the Freaker’s Ball, a concert held on Halloween night that was attended last year by 2,000 students. The concert follows Freak Week, a seven-day series of events leading up to the main show. In the past, the board has held costume contests and brought in psychics for the Ball.
“This year we have Nappy Roots and Field Mob as our artists,” junior Jennifer Welsh says.
Other past Program Board events include a car show, a trip to Busch Gardens, and student barbeques.
Ibrahim says this year the board will be trying to attract students who would like to be more involved. “We want a very active volunteer base,” she says. “And we want students to know we’re here and always have something for them to do.”
Welsh points out that the board is funded by the student body through Activity & Service fees. “You’ve already paid for it,” she says. “You might as well be there.”
Program Board’s meeting dates are listed on their website and the meetings are open to all students. For more information, visit http://www.fau.edu/student/activities/sg_pb/aboutus.htm