LU Moment: Beyond the Podcast with CAB

On this week's episode of the LU Moment, we caught up with Coordinator for Student Engagement and Cardinal Activities Board (CAB) Advisor Callie Melancon, and Cardinal Activities Board Executive Officer Jaelan Sherman.   

In this Q&A session, discover how CAB curates its diverse array of events based on student input, explores avenues for leadership within the organization, and contributes to shaping the vibrant culture on campus. 
 
Missed this week’s episode? You can listen to it at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2056925  

How does CAB decide on the types of events to organize for the student body? 

Callie: We have meetings with our volunteers and our event staff workers now, so we get ideas from them. Lately, we've also been implementing student polls on LU Hub for the students to put their ideas out there. So, we collect their ideas, and we go from there, and we see what's reasonable, what's within the budget, and what we think will have a great turnout. 

How can students get involved with CAB, and what opportunities does it offer for student leadership and participation?   

Callie: Last semester, and in previous semesters, we would do event volunteers where they would sign up to work in the event, and they would get paid back with volunteer hours. So, they were basically volunteering; they weren't working. But this semester, we started implementing employees, and we hired 11 students to work for us that are getting paid. So that's one way you can get involved with CAB. Another way you can get involved with CAB is by just attending the events and seeing what we do and how it works. So basically, if you want to get involved with CAB, you can either apply to work next semester, or just come to the events.  

One thing that I think that we do well is that we listen to what the students like. So, a lot of our ideas are student ideas. It is basically representing the student body because those were the ideas they shared with us, and we're implementing them and we're providing an experience for them that they would like to have. For example, one of my student volunteers last semester suggested doing a “2000s night” with airbrushed shirts, like you would get on vacation in the early 2000s, and I actually found a vendor who does the airbrush T-shirts, and it was actually really successful. 

How can students stay up to date about upcoming events? 

Jaelan: You can stay up to date with the current events through the Lamar University Cardinals Activity Board Instagram page and Facebook, and through LU Hub. We also have things up on the TVs in the Setzer Center and flyers posted across campus.  

In what ways do you believe CAB contributes to the overall campus culture and student experience? 

Callie: One thing I think that we do well is that we listen to what the students like. So, a lot of our ideas are student ideas that represent the student body. We're providing an experience for them to have that they can say “Oh, I came up with this.” It makes students feel good to see something that they came up with, and they get to see it come to life.   

What types of events does CAB attend to promote your organization to the student body?  

Callie: We'll set up a table in the Setzer Center atrium, and we'll give away free things. The first day of school, I gave away coffee. Then I gave away stickers the second day of school. Next week, we're giving out pizza for National Pizza Day, and for Mardi Gras we're going to give out beads. We like to give out stuff that the students can walk away with, which also serves as a promotion. So, they can see CAB’s here, and they do a lot of cool stuff.  

What can students look forward to from CAB in the upcoming months or academic year? 

Jaelan: We have another round of Build-A-Bear coming up. We have a vendor come, and students come build a bear. The event was a huge success last year, and we’re hoping for a great turnout this time around as well.