Series Programming

Random Days of Fun

Those of us who facilitate students activities know that a
lot goes into brainstorming, planning, advertising/executing, and evaluating our
programs. We can spend days, weeks and sometimes even months going through the
process. Though these more sophisticated programs are a blast to plan and
execute, simple programs that require very little planning can also be
favorites and successes.

One of the things our office does to supplement our
programming calendar is to coordinate monthly Random Days of Fun such as
International Talk Like a Pirate Day (just for fun), Bubble Wrap Appreciation
Day (a great stress reliever), and Licorice Day (accompanied with the history),
just to name a few. These activities occur in the college center just outside
our office. We table for two hours, handing out items and using the theme of
the day to interact with our students. The days go largely unpublicized and
tend to grab the students by surprise – making it random fun!

Last year was our first time implementing these Random Days
of Fun. One gained so much popularity it has become the kick off to this year’s
RDF series. September 19^thwill mark our 2^nd annual
International Talk like a Pirate Day celebration. Therefore,
we gunna once again celebrate by spendin' a pair o’ hours handin' out temporary
tattoos, eye patches, chocolate coins 'n other scurvy pirate booty. Additionally,
we gunna take pictures 'o students wit' scurvy pirate apparel.

Days like these have been very successful due to the buy in
from our colleagues. Administrators like our Vice President and our Director of
Residence Life get in the spirit by going by their Pirate Names http://www.froggynet.com/cgi-bin/pirate.cgi
for the day.

I encourage others to consider adding Random Days of Fun to your programming
calendar. Get started with International Talk like a Pirate Day http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html.
For more ideas, visit http://www.brownielocks.com/

Craig

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Series Programming — View Comments
30
Jun 09

Integrating Public Service into the College Experience

Crossposted at Future Majority.

One of my favorite aspects of blogging and working in student affairs is learning about various programs and initiatives that infuse civic engagement and service-learning into the college experience. Dickinson College in Pennsylvania is prepared to announce the implementation of a public service fellowship program which will serve as one of the best examples yet of an institution linking its values with President Obama's call for public service.

From the soon-to-be-released release:

After four years of high school, not all students are ready to continue with higher education. For some, a one-year break from academia, commonly referred to as a "gap year," provides time for students to learn more about themselves and the world. Already common in other countries, the U.S. is now seeing an increase in students seeking time off before matriculation to save money for college; others seek civic engagement or travel. President Obama has called on Americans to participate in our nation’s recovery and renewal by serving in our communities. To support this idea, the federal government’s Web site Serve.gov is an online resource for registering a community program, finding service opportunities and the tools for creating one.

[...]

Students can apply for admission into the Fellowship in their senior year of high school. If accepted, students may defer enrollment until the beginning of the academic year for one, two, three or four years. Students who have engaged in public service for up to four years following high-school graduation receive a $10,000 tuition credit for each year of public service, up to a total of $40,000. Use of credits will be limited to a maximum of $10,000 annually and will be applied to the student's account when matriculated. The Fellowship amount will be in addition to other institutional grants and scholarships for which the student may be eligible. Dickinson grants and scholarships won’t be affected by receipt of the Fellowship unless the student's total gift aid exceeds the student's total cost of attendance. The college will work with students to determine the best timing for using the credits, within the context of other aid.

Students must engage in meaningful public service devoted to improving the human condition and/or the natural environment. A student may opt to join well-established public service programs that offer a wide array of experiences, such as AmeriCorps (which also awards up to $4,725 for college tuition), or the student may pursue an independently designed project with a local, national or international nonprofit organization. In all cases, students must work 30-40 hours a week for 10-12 months (at least 1,200 total hours). The hours may be a traditional 30-40 hour workweek, or a more intensive experience such as disaster relief work that may require 12 to 14 hour days. The public service work may be compensated or uncompensated.

In order to reap the financial benefits of this program, Public Service Fellows must submit an application including an essay stating how they hope to contribute to themselves and society through the work they will be completing. Once the project is complete, the student is then required to submit a reflection essay discussing how the student's experience will impact his or her Dickinson experience.
In addition to the financial advantages afforded to them, Public Service Fellows will add to an already impressive Dickinson education. Those students participating in the program will contribute to a reflection ceremony open to the Dickinson community by sharing lessons learned from the public service projects. Furthermore, the campus will give Public Service Fellows priority consideration for campus-based leadership positions, such as resident advisor and campus advisor, further emphasizing the importance of giving back to one's community throughout the Dickinson experience.

Granted, a Dickinson education isn't cheap to start with. The tuition itself is almost $40,000 a year, and the bill only increases after other fees are added. But as noted above, students can work in public service for up to four years, netting $40,000. While students can only spend up to $10,000 yearly, all of this money is on top of any additional financial aid the school offers (receiving the fellowship does not impact other scholarship and grant opportunities).

One way to add to the program might be to incorporate an academic piece. For instance, instead of limiting students to writing two essays, perhaps those deciding to matriculate at Dickinson any given year would be required to register for a seminar to further explore their experiences, more intensely investigating themes they observed or felt while serving. This would then improve the quality of the on-campus discussion led by fellows.

In 2008, many of the Democratic presidential candidates offered similar proposals on their platforms, but nothing was this beneficial to students. This initiative provides Dickinson with a way to accentuate the importance of civic engagement among its students, while making its valued education more accessible to students predisposed with the ability to work hard and develop strong reflective skills. Those fellows admitted will be offered opportunity after opportunity to learn how to contribute to the greater good, while following in the footsteps of Dickinson College's founder, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence. In a public address in 1787, Rush urged every citizen to become an engaged public servant. Now, some 222 years later, with another American leader issuing the same call, Dickinson College is doing its best to lead it.

Are there any similar programs at your institutions?

Brian

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Event Ideas / Series Programming / University — View Comments
26
Jan 08

Try the Novelty of Themed Weeks

So often, I have seen my students succeed by planning great events – just single, unrelated events that have some broad, student appeal. One day, a concert. The next day, a movie. The following week, a lecture. And the week after that, a comedian. But, what I really like is when my students come together to plan events all around some themed week.

This year, my department took this unique approach to some of our programming. We have implemented “departmental” programming. Essentially, this means, all of our Resident Assistants (yes, I am in residence life) work together – collaboratively – to plan around the same departmental theme.

We have planned & implemented four departmental themes this year – Safety & Security Week, Alcohol Awareness Week, Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week, and, in the coming month, we will be doing Multicultural Week.

The idea behind these themed weeks was to create a departmental-wide effort to recognize these various topics/ideas/themes. Our RAs split into teams, and each of those teams was responsible for planning a program using our theme. Each RA team had a day of the week, Monday through Friday, so that we could offer at least one program per day that week.

Some of our programs were passive, but most were active, interesting, and fun approaches at educating and entertaining our student population.

Alcohol Awareness Week featured everything from an educational spin on Beer Pong to the widely-favorite “Drunk Buggy” program. Hunger & Homeless Awareness featured a pledge to fast for 24 hours and a movie (“Pursuit of Happyness”), among other things. And Safety & Security Week included a casual, sit-down chat with our campus police officers (“Cop Talk & Donuts”), as well as a program on Driving Safely in Winter Weather.

Yes, this may sound like a typical approach to programming from a residence life office; but my experience with Student Activities Boards and other programming bodies are proof that themed weeks work effectively for these students as well. I’ve seen Winter Weeks, Homecoming Weeks, School Spirit Weeks, and more. You can create a themed week around any topic imaginable.

What are the benefits?

Among other things, you hopefully involve more people in the planning and implementing process, which, in turn, increases the number of students to whom your events appeal. Themed weeks also lend themselves to great advertising and publicity. Not only can you promote each, individual event; but you will also have the ability to promote the entire week’s events together.

Themed weeks can be difficult to implement successfully, but they are very rewarding ways to program on a college campus. I hope you will consider implementing a NEW themed week at your institution. If you already use themed weeks to program, tell us about your experiences.

Chuck Steele

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Community College / Commuter Schools / Low Cost Programming / Marketing / Series Programming — View Comments
29
Jun 07

Alter Ego Productions

Lower your costs. Increase your hipness. Who can argue w/ that?

We’ve been running our Alter Ego Series for about the last six years. It all started w/ the idea of supporting local music. This is the setup. Each show is themed – pop punk, metal, alt, etc. We do four bands per show, and charge $5 at the door. Each band gets 15% of door sales, but we also give the bands tickets to sell in advance. That’s where they can really make some money. For those tickets, we tell them we need to get $2 back for every ticket they sell. So they can keep up to 60% or they can discount the tickets (to motivate fans to buy in advance). We use a ticket consignment form, and settle up w/ them before the show starts. This setup works for us because the bands do a large share of the promotion, and we can’t lose money on the show.

Another important piece is the name/branding of the series. In the beginning, we created "Alter Ego Productions" to downplay the fact that this is a student group. We wanted to give the impression that we were an independent group who is renting out space at the college. Over the years, that has pretty much gone by the wayside, but we still don’t put "Student Activities Program Board" on any of the promotion. Alter Ego Productions maintains the reputation for being a cool place to play or see a show within the local music scene.

Our audience numbers range from 50 to 150, which we consider a sellout for that room. These shows also create a following for the Alter Ego brand, and really help when we do our bigger concerts which typically sell out at 600 people.

Another perk, especially for community colleges like us, is that we do get some high schoolers at our shows which is a great way to get them on your campus and leave them with a "cool" image of the school.

Del

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Series Programming — View Comments
29
Jun 07

A Summer Music Series

Things that work

I’ve just returned from performing at a couple of Summer shows. As unusual as they are, I’ve done Summer shows on a lot of campuses for many years, and I’m always impressed with the interest and attendance. Students enrolled in Summer classes pay student activities fees, so they are entitled to programs even if the campus is slow. It’s important to make the programs fit into the needs and desires of Summer students.

For several years, I performed at the University of Arkansas during the Summer. They did an early evening concert series outside of their main cafeteria. Students would flow out of student center and sit right down to listen to the music. The activities staff knew how to do events right in the traffic flow and at the right time, so that students couldn’t miss the event. I performed on their campus once on July Fourth while they grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for their students. It was the traditional July Fourth Family Cookout, but with the “campus family.”

We all grouse about the most common way to get students to attend any event: free food. I just performed at the University of Tennessee (for the 15th summer in a row), and they have used a number of food giveaways. They used to give away free snow cones. How cool and cheap is that? They got crushed ice from the athletic department and flavored syrups from Sam’s Club. Then they shifted to ice cream.

Ice cream is a consistently popular food giveaway in the Summer. At Boston University, they would give away three away three five-gallon containers during my Noon concert. Students would line up thirty minutes in advance to get their scoop! Part of my job, as a performer, was to keep them happy before the ice cream was ready. I would actually start to perform at 11:30, and the ice cream wasn’t brought out until Noon.

The folks at the University of Tennessee found away to eliminate the hassle and mess of scooping ice cream. They now giveaway ice cream novelties: nutty buddies, pushups, ice cream sandwiches, etc. It’s also great because students can grab them and run.

Look at scheduling your Summer programs at the right time and the right days. Boston University, the University of Tennessee, and Virginia Commonwealth University always scheduled my shows during summer orientation or a parents’ visitation. It makes the campus look so inviting to those new students and parents to see something happening. And it guarantees an audience.

Western Carolina University uses their Summer Concert Series for multiple purposes. They are scheduled during summer orientation for the students and parents. But in addition, they also promote them off campus, and view their Summer Series as a community outreach. There were almost as many community residents at my concert last week as there were summer students and orientation students.

If you are doing Summer programs, I’d love to hear what works for you.

Dennis Koch

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Series Programming — View Comments
29
Jun 07

Why Series Programming

Series Programming

As much as we would all like to think that we are independent routine is what we enjoy in our life and helps us plan our lives. Series programming has a number of benefits that seem to be lost sometimes as the word series brings up images of the same old, and boring, and repetitive, etc. This of course is as far from reality as it can be if your series programs are done with intention.

A movie, coffeehouse, comedy, or performing arts series are all wonderful ways to build an audience. One of the quotes I am always using is with quality comes quantity. Meaning when you do a quality event your reputation builds and thus your audience grows too. This is just one of the ways series programming can be used to help establish an office, committee, board, etc that maybe hosting these events. Series work can establish creative long-range publicity methods. Set up a tradition on campus. Provide a method of progressive training for members and executives who are producing the events. Create an atmosphere of school spirit. Give a face-lift to an overused facility or event.

An idea for a comedy series is to label it Comedy Central Comes To (your campus name). Then book several comedians over several months (the second Tuesday of each month for example) who have performed on Comedy Central, for those of us who are in the know that is almost every comedian that is on the college circuit. You have added pop culture reference to your series that is familiar and appreciated by your audience. Then run with it and do the creative inspirational programming that we all are capable of facilitating.

I could go on and on about series programming but we all learn best from each other. Let’s share some examples of series programming that has worked in the past for you or maybe ideas you have for series programming for one reason or another you are unable to implement on your campus. This type of programming is why television, movies, authors, music companies, etc are so successful and make money. They build reputation, they build audience, they create expectations, and they build pride and competence.

Kevin

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Creativity / Low Cost Programming / Series Programming — View Comments
12
May 07

Creative Uses for Small Acts: Take Your Show to the Audience

Posted by: Del Suggs – Saltwatermusic.com

Has this ever happened to you: You’re at the APCA conference, watching this incredible
duo showcase. You get so excited, and you want to book them– but you can’t figure out
how to present them on your campus. You think– Sure, they are great in the showcase,
but you don’t have a theater on your campus.

Or how about this: you love all the showcasing acts, but you can only afford the least
expensive performers. Where would you put a solo, duo or trio on your campus– when
students only turn out to hear big bands?

Whether you can only afford small acts, or you happen to find a small act you love, you’re
actually very fortunate. Some big acts– concert bands or illusionists, for example– can
only perform in a traditional theater setting. Smaller acts, on the other hand, can truly be
presented almost any where on your campus. Let’s consider some alternate uses for
smaller, easily produced acts.

There can be any number of reasons to invite a performer to campus– as part of an
ongoing entertainment series, for a special event, as a complement to a traditional event
(homecoming or spring weekend). Maybe a performer offers a program that ties in with a
national awareness week, or would be an appropriate addition to a community event.

The entertainment can be culturally enriching, or have an educational slant, or simply be
entertainment for entertainment’s sake –something that can be overlooked on campuses.
College and university life can be very demanding, with academic deadlines, work
schedules, cocurricular and civic obligations. Entertainment can be the way you spell
"relief." A performance that allows or encourages people to set aside the details of their
day-to-day responsibilities for a little while and relax, sing, laugh, dance or simply reflect
on the talent and beauty that an artist might share accomplishes a great deal. People leave
an event refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to go again. They’ll be looking forward to the
next show whether it’s a week, two weeks or a month later.

Ordinarily a program– whether it’s a concert, coffeehouse house show, comedian,
performing arts– features the "performance." People are there for the performance, as
opposed to putting the performer in a situation where a group has gathered for another
purpose. The show might take place on a concert stage with theater seating, a function
room in the campus center, or possibly a residence hall lobby. Regardless of the facility,
there would be a defined stage area, appropriate lighting and sound, and, most
importantly, the seating in the room would be arranged to focus everyone’s attention on
the act.

Consider bringing in a second act as an opener. This opening act slot is a prime
opportunity for using a smaller act. Don’t be afraid to mix and match here. You could have
a male duo open for a female comic, or have a storyteller open for a mime and offset the
physical presentation with the spoken word. While we’re on the subject of openers, if
you’re doing a major concert with nationally recognized talent, you should consider using
a campus favorite as opener.

Small, easily produced acts also fit easily into larger special and/or traditional events. For
example, a "welcome back" barbecue might be the perfect situation for that trio you saw
showcasing but couldn’t figure out how to fit into your schedule or your three-hundred
seat auditorium. A solo acoustic performer is a nice addition to an activities fair– loud
enough to entertain and draw people to the event but not so loud that representatives of
clubs and organizations can’t tell you who they are.

Half- time entertainment at a football game is expected. A flat bed truck with a sound
system and a small act driven out to the fifty yard line is a bit out of the ordinary. Plug it in
and do a twenty-minute set, unplug it and drive away. It can and has been done! You
might try clowns or some form of broad, physical comedy at center court for a basketball
half- time.

Small acts can add sparkle and draw attention to events that might otherwise be fairly
mundane. Perhaps an organization on campus wants to make and sell tie-dye t-shirts to
raise money to sponsor a thanksgiving dinner for local needy families. Have a couple of
tie-dyeing booths on site and let anyone donate a dollar and dye a shirt. Announce that the
shirts will be auctioned at a comedy show the following week. Invite a representative of a
local human services organization to speak on campus, during the auction and/or as a
separate event. Have the M.C. or one of the comedians be the auctioneer. The day of the
dinner you might have a caricature artist , roving artists doing balloon animals, face
painting, sleight of hand, etc. Turn it into a party. A string quartet or classical guitarist at
dinner can provide just the right ambiance.

Easily produced acts can be especially helpful in attracting people to another event or
entertaining a group gathered for a purpose other than the performance. If your campus
elections are typically a low turnout affair, a performer at or near the polls entertaining and
constantly reminding passers-by to vote might be just the thing. Same for voter
registration drive, etc.

Where people are likely to be waiting in line (for what might seem like years) some music,
comedy, or maybe a caricature artist would be appreciated. Does registration or drop/add
ring a bell? You might even approach the registrar’s office to see if they’d like to
cosponsor with you! Do students wait in line to sell back used books to the bookstore?
How about your college blood drive? What could be better than having a laid-back
musical act play while students are waiting and giving blood. It helps them relax, and
takes their mind off the issues at hand.

Music works for any kind of waiting. If you bring in a popular novelty, such as wax
hands, candlemaking, or caricature artist, remember it takes time do complete those
things. Stage a musical act near the novelty, and your students will be entertained while
they are waiting to be drawn or waxed. You’ll have fewer complaints about the lines, and
fewer students will walk away without participating.

Many artists’ performances involve issues larger than the hour or two on stage, such as a
musical performance that focuses on women’s issues, or the history of the underground
railroad, or a dramatic presentation on native American culture. These artists often offer
seminars, lectures and residencies in addition to their performances. Get these performers
into the classroom, too.

Keep in mind that any act you bring to campus for a program may be of special interest to
different groups and make an effort to target them. For example, the psychology
department might even recommend that students attend a performance by the hypnotist or
mentalist that you’ve contracted for homecoming. Perhaps the theater department might
offer technical support for the mime you are featuring on Parents’ weekend. Take
advantage of every opportunity to invite and involve as many different segments of your
college community in your programs as you can.

Instead of bringing in one solo artist a week, you might offer a “singer/songwriter night”
featuring three or four in a round- robin performance with a songwriting seminar
following. How about a show featuring student talent using a professional comedian as the
emcee– just like an APCA showcase!

You’ll find that professional performers active in the college market are usually willing and
able to adapt to your performance situations. If you’re considering using an act in a unique
situation be sure to discuss everything in detail well in advance– if a cellist is expecting to
perform in a concert hall, but arrives on campus to find out that you decided it’d be cool to
set her on a small stage at the bottom of an empty swimming pool to draw attention to
water quality issues there could be a few tense moments! Don’t forget that touring
performers have experience with lots of different situations. We can very often help with
organizing your event, and making it a success.

Kevin

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Creativity / Series Programming — View Comments
11
May 07

Family Friendly Programs

Posted by: Del Suggs – Saltwatermusic.com

Perhaps the fastest growing demographic group of college students are the so-called “non
traditional” students. Think of traditional students as young (18-22 years old), unmarried
and childless, the stereotypical college kids as defined in such classic Hollywood films as
“Animal House.”

Non-traditional students are therefore everyone else. That means older students, who
perhaps delayed college to work; and, returning students, who may be coming back to
change careers. Because they are older, they may also have other accouterments of a
more mature person– such as a spouse, young children, a full-time or part-time job, and
other responsibilities. They may be caring for aging parents, or they may be grandparents
themselves returning to college just for intellectual enlightenment and the joy of learning.

As non-traditional students become a major population on college campuses,
programming boards are facing a new paradigm in activities. Family Friendly programs
may provide one solution to meeting the needs of these students.

Easily Overlooked

Family friendly programs are often overlooked on campus. It is easy to understand why
they are neglected. Non-traditional students are often under-represented in student
government, and on the campus activities board or council. These students often have less
free time to devote to volunteer and service positions because of their other
responsibilities. It can be a challenge for a typical program board composed of 20
year-old students to consider the needs of non-traditional students, particularly without
the involvement and guidance of someone outside of their own peer group.

The general exception to this is on the community college and vocational-technical college
campus, where the entire SGA or CAB my be composed of these non-traditional students.
These schools are often at the vanguard of family friendly programs and events.

Family Friendly Programs Defined

In developing family friendly programs, consider the following factors:

First, family friendly programs should appeal to non-traditional students. That often
means older students, with interests other than video gaming, MTV, skateboarding, body
piercing, and other aspects of youth culture.

Second, they should be enjoyable for students’ spouses, partners, or significant others to
attend, too. Family friendly programs aren’t just for students.

Third, they should be “kid-friendly.” That means the event should at least be “G-rated” or
“PG-rated” (on the motion picture scale) whether the program is a children’s event or not.

Fourth, they should be inexpensive to attend. For a program to be truly family friendly,
the entire family group should be able to attend cheaply. Admission fees can add up
quickly when multiplied by additional family members.

Fifth, the most successful family friendly programs are all-inclusive. If a meal can be
included, along with (or part of ) the event, then it’s perfect.

Finally, sometimes family friendly shows can appeal to traditional college students and
their parents. It’s not always for non-traditional students. Sometimes it’s for traditional
students and their parents and siblings, such as a “Family Weekend, “ “Parents’
Weekend” or “Little Sibs Weekend.”

When Do They Happen?

In planning these family friendly programs, consider when “families” might be available to
attend. Certain days will be apparent, such as weekends and holidays. Other days and
times will be obviously poor choices, such as midday events during the school or work
week.

But don’t just assume that family friendly events can only happen on Saturday morning.
Consider children’s programs on those free days off from school (Teacher Planning Days,
et al) that often fall on Friday or Monday.

Some of the most obvious opportunities for family friendly programs revolve around
social and cultural holidays. Whether it’s a Thanksgiving celebration, Independence Day,
President’s Day, or Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, these days provide both a theme and
a reason for an event.

It goes without saying that you should be aware of cultural sensitivities. While pictures
with Santa Claus or an Easter Egg Hunt may be innocent fun, make sure you aren’t
offending groups within your community. For example, some schools enjoy
Halloween-inspired events, while other schools might avoid those programs because of
some perceived satanic connection. Just be aware of your local standards, and if you
chose to exceed them be prepared to explain, educate, and defend your actions.

Plenty of Events To Choose

There are plenty of program choices in the marketplace. Events and attractions can be
touring professionals, they can be local artists, or they can be student-created. The ideas
are abundant, and they include music, performing arts, novelty, and more.

Here are a few examples:

Everything But The Mime’s "Shana Banana" presents a Saturday morning program at
many colleges. The non-traditional students bring their families to campus for a box
breakfast and Shana’s music show for kids.

But music programs don’t have to be children’s shows to work for families. For the last
few years, Barry Drake’s most successful shows on the history of rock music for have
been Family/Parents Weekends. “It’s amazing to see what happens to the parents and their
college age kids when they get to relive a decade of Rock & Roll History together,” says
his agent and partner Pat Padla. “Unfortunately for us, most Parents/Family weekends
occur in a brief 6-8 week period in the Fall. The show that works the best is his 60s
lecture, ‘60s Rock – When The Music Mattered.’”

Likewise, Robin Greenstein does a number of family concerts around the holidays. “I
have had success with my multi-cultural December show "Songs of the Season," she says.

“Travelin’ Max” is also a popular musical act for family weekend events. According to
Everything But The Mime’s Bill Fry, Max drew a crowd of over 3000 students, families,
and locals at the University of Tennessee/Martin this year.

Ken Abrahams of FUN Enterprises features a number of very popular family programs,
including sand art and other novelty items such as personalized mouse pads and photo
keychains for Family Weekends. But his most innovative ideas are used at Orientation and
Welcome Back events. “We make a photo keychain of parent’s dropping off their kids for
Orientation. That alone would be a great souvenir, but we imprint emergency phone
numbers on the back for the parents,” says Abrahams. Parents always have contact
information for the Residence Assistants and the Dean of Students at their fingers.

Fairs, Festivals, Carnivals and More

Combination events are nearly always family friendly, because there is something for
everyone. Fairs, Festivals, Carnivals and similar programs fall into this category.

Shannon Huffman of Young Harris College (GA) says “ We do have two activities that
are not just family friendly- but community friendly. The Student Activities Office
annually hosts a Fall Fest that offers Trick or Treating to the community in the Residence
Halls, a haunted house, and student booths outside on the plaza. The student booths offer
a variety of events from concessions to face painting to dunk the dean, etc. The booths
are run by the student organizations and it is a great fund raiser for them. Spring Fest is
much the same- but only open to YHC students, faculty and staff and their families. It is
held during the day and offers a free picnic, bands, student booths, inflatables, tie-dye
shirts, make your own cups, wax hands, etc. Just a huge variety of things to do for almost
free!”

Similarly, the Savannah College of Art and Design (GA) features a children’s booth at
their famous “Sidewalk Arts Festival” held each April. Linette Chalifoux, a student at
SCAD, says “the Student Activities Council runs a children’s booth, and every year the
school makes the booth larger because of it’s success. We have tables set with face
painting, flower crowns, stain glass making, make your own pin, jewelry making, mask
making, sand art, and more. I can not express the look on a child’s face when he or she
leaves the festival with something they made with their parents.”

Other “do it yourself” events can include a Vintage or Hot Rod Car Show, a Motorcycle
Show, even a film festival. A “cartoon film festival” featuring such well-know stars as
Bugs Bunny or Rocky & Bullwinkle can be a major success, and appeals to both young
and old alike.

But don’t overlook the touring professional attractions for your festivals and carnivals.
Roanoke College (VA) used "Balloons by Lester" and "Body Art by Susan" for Family
Fun Days. And, Radford University (VA) recently marched in a community parade. They
brought in "Balloons by Lester" — in costume — to march with them!

Bethany College (KS) and Wayne State University (NE) use balloon artists "Mike da
Roving Guy" and "Dave Evans" to perform at their football games. College football on a
fall afternoon attracts both students and the community, and their performances were big
successes.

Some schools bring in family friendly attractions for such events as Renaissance Fairs (St.
Joseph’s University in Philadelphia), or community festivals held on their campuses such
as Thomas Nelson Community College (VA) and Eastern New Mexico State University.
Pat Padla says “We usually get a large turnout from the town folks and the older non-
traditional students who are looking for an event they can relate to. Penn State/York (PA)
and Brookdale Community College (NJ) always do a great job promoting Barry’s shows
to the community. For schools like these, any decade of Rock & Roll History will do but
‘The 60s’ and ‘The 70s’ seem to work the best.”

Promotion is Vital

It’s always important to promote your events. It’s perhaps even more important to
publicize your family friendly programs, because they are reaching out to an audience not
usually drawn to campus activities.

Fortunately, it can be easier to promote these events than you might realize. The first
step is to think about your target audience. If it’s families with children, you can put out
flyers in daycare centers or send announcements home with kids from school. If it’s the
community you’re after, then go to the city newspaper, TV and radio stations. You might
not utilize these media for strictly on-campus events, but they’re ideal for reaching an
off-campus audience.

Family and Alumni events can also be targeted through your school Media Relations
Office. They may do targeted mailings for you to alumni or parents planning a visit to
campus.

The Right Show

With any show featuring a performer, choosing the right artist is crucial. Mark Nizer,
award winning juggler and comedian sums it up: “It is a very difficult balance to find a
performer that can entertain a diverse group. College students, parents and young children
all have different sense of what is funny, entertaining and holds their attention. You need
to be able to be funny (or entertaining) to a tougher high school/college age group but
conservative enough to keep parents and grandparents in the game. A large part of this is
the ability of the performer to be likable and honest on stage. Giving the audience a
pleasant experience and not making them uncomfortable is what it’s all about.”

Kevin

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Creativity / Diversity / Series Programming — View Comments
11
May 07

Programming for Commuters

Post by: Del Suggs – Saltwatermusic.com

It may be the biggest challenge in the field of Student Activities: programming for a
commuter campus. It’s like having a student body of gypsies or nomads. Sometimes
they’re around; sometimes they’re not. What can you do?

Let’s start by defining what we mean by a commuter campus. It’s not as easy as you
might think. Obviously, a commuter school has a student population that lives
off-campus. We tend to think of a commuter campus in stereotypical terms, such as a
community college. The real definition is actually broader, because it can include any
school– two-year, four-year, or graduate school– without residence halls.

These days it’s the rare campus that has the majority of students living in residence halls.
So, in some sense, most campuses are commuter campuses– or at least have a sizable
commuter population. If every campus is a commuter campus, how do you deal with the
programming issues?

Another demographic in play

It may be easier to consider your commuter students based on a simpler demographic.
Consider whether your students are “traditional” or “non-traditional.” When you do that,
you’ll be able to assess their programming needs and understand how to reach your target
audience.

On the typical community/commuter college campus, the majority of day time students are
traditional: eighteen-to-twenty-four years old, recent high school graduates, single, etc.
The main difference between traditional college students at a commuter campus as
compared to a residential campus is simple– most of the these commuter students still live
at home, with their families. At a residential campus, these students would most likely be
living either in a dorm or an off-campus apartment, but not with their families.

Then there are the evening students. On a commuter campus, these people are nearly all
“non-traditional” students. They may have regular, day jobs. They may be married, or
have families. They tend to be older, more mature, and therefore have different interests.

Here’s what you’ll find on most commuter college campuses: from 8-to-5 are your
traditional college students, while from 5 o’clock until the last class lets out are your
non-traditional students. Look around and that’s what you’ll see.

Based on this insight, let’s develop a few principles for commuter campus programming
that can help you do a better job. We’ll consider these two groups– daytime and evening
students– separately.

Daytime Students

The daytime, traditional students will enjoy the typical student activities that you’d see on
any college campus. That includes music, coffeehouse shows, comedians, spoken word
artists, novelties, and more. The events and attractions that you see showcased at the
APCA conferences and convention work perfectly.

Your biggest challenge in daytime programming is getting these traditional students to
attend your events. That’s is the fuel for ongoing discussions at every educational session
and programming workshop.

There are two solutions. The first one you’ve heard before: free food. Free food is the
biggest draw on any college campus anywhere, anytime. It’s not just your campus. It’s
every campus. We have to bait students to attend and have fun. They always have fun
when they go to a campus event, but for some reason they seem to forget that. So you
have to bait them almost every time.

The second solution to attendance is traffic patterns: take your show to the students.
Most schools find it nearly impossible to get students to break their deeply ingrained
traffic patterns. Students park their cars, they walk to the student center, they go to class,
they may go back to the student center, they walk to their cars, they leave. Oh, and once
in a while they go to the library.

Understand that you can’t break those patterns. You could have Dave Matthews playing
free in the auditorium across campus, and many students wouldn’t make the effort to walk
over there. So you must bring the performance to your students. Present shows in the
cafeteria or student center. Program in the lobby, or the patio or courtyard. Place your
events in their way, actually block their path on sidewalks. They will accidentally bump
into your programs, and end up participating.

Evening Students

The students that hit campus after five o’clock are different. They may be tired from
working all day at a job or at home. They may have rushed from childcare to campus.
They’ve got other concerns that traditional college students don’t have to face.

But these non-traditional, evening students also need programs. And, most importantly,
they pay student activity fees, too. Part of your challenge is to find student activities
programs and events that can meet their needs.

What are their needs? Evening students often don’t have time to be entertained, because
they’ve got a tight schedule when they’re on campus. They go to class, then rush off to
other obligations like family or a job. But remember the idea of free food? It works
especially well with evening students, because they may have missed dinner to rush to
campus.

You might also consider some ongoing evening activities for these students. In addition
to that free pizza party or hamburger cook out once a month or semester, how about
something more often and less expensive? Maybe you could provide free coffee in the
student center every evening from five until seven o’clock? Maybe you could have snacks
or dessert offerings. These folks would be grateful!

Bigger Coordinated Events

If you do a larger event for your evening students, try to coordinate with the faculty.
Often evening classes meet longer than the traditional one-hour. A three-hour class
generally takes a break somewhere around the midpoint. If you plan a big program, such
as a cookout with entertainment, communicate that to your faculty well in advance.
You’ll often find the professors will time their lectures so that the students can take a
longer break and enjoy more of your activity. More importantly, they won’t plan an exam
that might keep students in the classroom.

Campus-wide programs such as an Open House can also be very successful. Students
love to bring their children– or parents– to campus and show them around. If you can
present such an event, and throw in a free (or cheap) meal, you’ll reach a lot of students.
It also makes a great recruitment tool, and gets the family involved with the school.

Off Campus Events

We nearly always think of student activities as something that is done for students on
campus. It doesn’t have to be that way. Think of ways you can provide for these students
off campus.

You may be able to purchase student tickets to local movie theaters, sporting events,
concerts, and more. By getting these tickets for your students, you’ve provided them with
an activity– perhaps even a cultural event– that they might not have been able to attend
otherwise. It’s worth considering.

Note, too, that these offerings will be self-selecting. You might present a comedian for
your daytime students, but give away tickets to a local comedy club for your evening
students. You don’t have to discriminate– but if you only give away the free tickets at
night, you’ll end up giving them to the right students.

Final thoughts

Perhaps the most difficult feat to execute on a commuter campus is the evening program.
It’s tough to schedule a concert or event that appeals to traditional students (your daytime
commuter students) in the evening. Unless it’s extraordinary, don’t try it. It’s nearly
impossible to get students back on campus after they’ve left for the day. Many a
coffeehouse and comedy series has gone down the drain because it was scheduled at night
on a community college. It would have worked at noon, when the students were already
there. They don’t come back…

Commuter students are a challenge to serve. They have different needs, different interests,
and different responses to campus events. You’ll find it a constant struggle to reach out
to them and get them involved with your programs. But it’s worth it when you find those
programs that work, and those students who appreciate your effort. And, after all, it is
your job!

Kevin

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Creativity / Low Cost Programming / Marketing / Series Programming — View Comments
11
May 07

Cafeteria Shows: Making the Best of a Bad Situation

Posted by: Del Suggs – Saltwatermusic.com

The best place to have a concert is obvious– a Concert Hall or
Auditorium. Often these sites are unavailable (or undesirable) as a
concert site, and the campus cafeteria is chosen as an alternative. A
Cafeteria Show can be successful– although the odds are against it.
What it takes to have a good cafeteria show is extra effort on the part
of the concert committee. The following are some suggestions from a
veteran of many such shows.

Alternate Sites

Perhaps the best idea is to find an adjacent site for the concert. If
there is a lobby outside of the cafeteria, try to use it for the show.
Perhaps you can rearrange the couches and chairs, and catch people
leaving the cafeteria who will stay and listen. Maybe you could serve
dessert in the lobby… or at least encourage diners to bring their ice
cream into the lobby for the music. If you haven’t guessed, I’m trying
to discourage you from having entertainment in your dining hall.

Why? Because most people think you can simply stick a performer in the
cafeteria and say "Play." This absolutely will not work. On any given
campus, many students eat between 15-21 meals a week in the cafeteria.
At just 30 minutes per meal, a total of 90 minutes a day, that can
amount to 10 hours a week– as much as a part-time job! As a result,
students feel comfortable in the cafeteria. Remember "The Waltons" and
"Leave It To Beaver"– the dining table is a family place, a place of
stability and reassurance that everything is okay. This is the best and
the worst reason to have a concert here.

It’s the best reason because cafeteria dining is dull, boring, and
repetitious, and a concert would really spice things up. It’s the worst
reason because Students Hate Surprises. They expect– demand– that
their cafeteria experience remain the same as it always is.

For a cafeteria concert to be successful, you must make the cafeteria
different and special for the show. You must also make the concert a
special event, and make sure that your students know the the show is a
big deal. For this reason, if you decide to have a successful cafeteria
show, you must do two things: convert the room, and convert the
students.

Cafeteria Conversion

Begin by analyzing the dining room. Realize that not everybody wants to
entertained at dinner; therefore, if there is a section of the room
that can be separated or closed off, use it as the concert site. Find
some way of setting aside one area– a small area– for the
concert-goers. I suggest a small area, because it is better to have
your audience crowded into a small area than scattered out across the
room with empty tables and chairs in between.

Talk to and befriend the Cafeteria Management. Make sure that they are
supportive of a show. Make sure they know that you will be responsible
for restoring the cafeteria to it’s original condition after the show.
Make sure they know that this show won’t be any more work for them. Ask
if they can provide tablecloths, candles, and maybe even a special
dinner the night of the show. If they are opposed to the show, you
might as well forget it. But they are generally excited about the
possibility of generating more business and satisfied customers. The
main thing is to make sure they know there is no extra work involved
for them. They need to know that you will be doing all the work, and
they will simply share in the glory.

In the section of the hall set aside as the concert site, arrange for a
stage, lights and sound (if required by the artist’s rider). Make sure
you can dim the overhead lights, or turn them off all together. It is
vitally important that you set the mood– the ambience– for the show.
Arrange to decorate the stage area with plants or props. Try to find
table cloths and candles, at least for the tables up close to the stage.

Arrange the tables and chairs so that everyone in facing the stage,
even if you have to remove chairs. This is very important for two
reasons: it discourages talking; and it helps the audience pay
attention to the show.

Converting the Students

A week before the show, make sure the word gets out. Put up posters,
use table tents, make announcements in the dining hall about the show,
do what ever it takes to get the word out about this show. Make sure
nobody walks into the cafeteria the night of the show and says "what’s
going on?". Remember, Students Hate Surprises.

Thirty minutes before the show: Turn off the TV, unplug the video
games, cover the pool tables; turn off the music or radio. Dim the room
lights fifteen minutes before the show begins. Have information (bios
and fliers) on the tables telling about the artist for diners to read.
You can copy the press release, or write your own blurb. Have an Emcee
to introduce the act in a professional manner. Do everything you can to
create the image that this is an important event. This is not just a
"cafeteria gig." This is (ta-dah!) "Dinner Theatre."

It’s Showtime

Require that everyone on your committee be at the show– sitting down
front, enjoying and applauding. Every show needs a core audience to get
the excitement and energy started. Fun is contagious, and you will
quickly find that everybody has begun to appreciate the performance.

After the show: Allow time for an encore, don’t just turn on the lights
and run people out. Give your audience a moment to sit and relax, and
meet the performer if they want. If the performer has CD’s or tapes
available, announce it from the stage and encourage people to come
down. Let people visit with the artist without being pressured to get
out of the room.

Talk personally to those in attendance and thank them for being there.
The word of mouth advertising you will get from them is priceless. They
may also want to become a member of your concert committee. Sign them
up on the spot.

Return to Dullness

Remember your promise to the Cafeteria Manager? Put everything back the
way it was before the show. Rearrange the tables and chairs, put the
plants back in the lobby, pick up all the table tents and fliers. Turn
it back into the same old dull cafeteria it was before you converted it
into (ta-dah!) "Dinner Theatre."

If you follow these guidelines, I can almost promise that you will have
a good, successful cafeteria concert. If you don’t, the show may still
succeed… but the odds are more likely that it will bomb.

Frequently, cafeteria shows are seen as "disposable." They are
generally less expensive acts, and since there is less money at stake,
these shows are sometimes considered less important. That usually means
that less effort is put into presenting these shows. But don’t forget
that the act you are bringing in to perform in your cafeteria may have
played a concert hall the night before. Just because they are in your
cafeteria doesn’t mean they aren’t great performing artists! Of course
they are great. That’s why you booked them!

The bottom line is this: You pay a lot of money for your performing
artists, but it takes more than just booking a good act to ensure a
good show. We can’t do it all by ourselves– we need your help to make
it work. Give us the best possible conditions, and you will get twice
your moneys worth.

The Student Affairs Collaborative

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