Live Entertainment in Hillwood

By Shannon Miller

Assistant News Editor

The Student Activities Board (SAB), creates large and small events to enhance students’ college life outside the classroom. Members will organize live entertainment in Hillwood Commons on select dates throughout the spring 2019 semester to offer students a taste of talent chosen by fellow classmates.

The Gold Coast Cinema will host two stage shows at 6 p.m. on Feb. 12 and April 10, each showcasing a stand-up comedian. In addition, performances by acoustic musicians branded the “Coffee House Series” will take place in Hillwood during common hour on Feb. 25, March 25, and April 23. An “End of The Year Bash” will take place on the Great Lawn on April 29.

Knowing that “commuters usually don’t stay for the performances that are at night,” the scheduled times reflect the board members’ intention to attract a variety of students, according to Cassidy Shankar, SAB’s programming chairperson and sophomore forensics major.

Heather Bash, the board’s large event chairperson and junior criminal justice major, is disappointed in the turnout for past events. “The talents so far have been enjoyed by everyone who has attended, but it’s sad to see that the attendance from the student body is pretty low for events that are paid through funds from the school,” she said.

Freshman education major, Anthony Dushaj, was unable to attend the band Small Time Napoleon’s live performance on Jan. 22 due to his commitment to the wrestling team. “I did hear about bands playing on campus, and I heard pretty good things about it,” he said.

Ryan Day, LIU Promise’s assistant director of events and operations, took over as the board’s advisor last year to help transition more control of the organization into student’s hands. The goal is to “branch out from the traditional activities organized in the past,” Day said.

The organization originally consisted of executives, chairpersons, and a few general members. “This year we had to rebuild the club from the bottom up,” Shankar said. SAB now accepts a larger general membership, helping to provide a wider representation of student opinion.

Last fall, Day and a few board members participated in a conference held by the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA), where they joined neighboring universities in scouting out different acts touring college campuses across the country. They learned how to contract performers for large and small-scale events, according to Bash.

Bash is excited for their announcement of the artist who will perform at this year’s annual Spring Fling. Through a survey emailed out to students last November, board members were able to gage the musical genre and type of performer students wish to see. The artist chosen is still under wraps, according to Day, but the board is hoping to plan a reveal event upon completion of the contract signing. The concert is scheduled for Thursday, April 29.

Students who wish to contribute their ideas or assist with campus activities and events are welcome to join the activities board, according to Day. “We actually just got these fancy rewards cards for our general members as an incentive to volunteer at events and come to the meetings,” he said.

Students who reach the first tier win a staff t-shirt, and then each time they reach another tier, their name is entered in a raffle for a chance to meet the artist headlining the spring concert. Those interested in joining SAB can contact Day at Ryan.Day@liu.edu.