This school year, Student Program Board (SPB) is working to bring entertainment to the OU community with a mix of in-person and virtual events. The annual welcome week carnival (to be hybrid this year) is planned for Sept. 11, followed up by a drive-in homecoming weekend, amongst other events in the works. 

“Students can expect a variety of things [this year]” said Owen Bennett, president of SPB. “The traditional welcome week carnival will have an in-person component – musical entertainment, food trucks and a movie – in addition to a variety of digital activities. We’re also working with administration to bring some more in-person activities to campus, but the COVID-19 guidelines change daily so students should stay tuned.” 

According to SPB annual events director Giuseppe Giammalva, the carnival will be equipped with a live band, movie and food by Bear Lake. 

“During the day, we have a couple of virtual options that students can participate in, along with a few make and take items as well,” Giammalva said. 

Any in-person event hosted by the SPB will require masks. As of now, these events will either take place outdoors, or require registering in advance for a time slot to allow for effective social distancing in the midst of COVID-19. 

Virtual events will take place throughout the semester as well, with more information to come. Currently on Wednesdays, SPB is putting on virtual hump days, primarily through social media. Virtual hump days allow students to share posts ranging from pet photos to their favorite playlists, often with the opportunity to win prizes. 

SPB Marketing Director, AuJenee Hirsch, encourages students to stay updated on these plans and others primarily via social media. She mentioned there will be a heavy media presence, so students should follow SPB on their socials for the latest updates. 

“We have amped up our marketing presence over the summer on social media to garner engagement, and see what students are interested in,” Hirsch said. 

Additionally, GrizzOrgs – OU’s student organization database – will continue to be a great resource for students to keep up on what’s happening with SPB. 

“The Office for Student Involvement’s goal this year is to make as much event information as possible openly available to students via GrizzOrgs in addition to the traditional advertising channels SPB usually uses,” Bennett said. “We’ll be making an effort to list our upcoming events there.”

All in all, through the unprecedented situation the pandemic presents, Bennett is confident in the SPB team. 

“I have a ton of faith in the team we’ve put together and their ability to weather the unique challenges this year has posed,” Bennett said. “Even through the pandemic and the uncertainty it brings, we’re firing on all cylinders to contribute positivity and entertainment to student life at OU, and I’m incredibly excited for students to see what we’ve got planned.”  

To keep up with the SPB and stay in the loop regarding upcoming events, opportunities to snag OU merchandise and more, students can follow the SPB’s social media platforms on Facebook at Student Program Board of Oakland University, Instagram at @spbou and Twitter at @OUSPB.