The former Golden Events chair for Oakland University’s Student Program Board, Jermaine Conaway, is looking forward to the rest of his fall semester as it takes a different direction than he had originally planned.

A junior majoring in marketing, Conaway is the new SPB chair, replacing Jonathan Jenkins.

Jenkins said he chose to shift gears this semester and not continue his position as the SPB chair because most students don’t realize the high level of stress that comes with the job, he said.

He originally planned to apply for the position in December for the following year, but accepted the chairmanship on a short notice when Jenkins decided to resign.

“We needed someone to kind of step up and take on the position and I have the experience,” he said.  “What better opportunity than to kind of jump in and see what it’s like?”

Conaway has been involved with the SPB since his freshman year, participating as Annual Events chair and holding the position of Golden Events chair up until a couple weeks ago.

As SPB chair, Conaway oversees the event planning of other SPB members to ensure that the process is running smoothly, he said.

Conaway said his first week on the job has not been too rough, and is set on finalizing this semester’s events by making certain that the financial aspect of each event is taken care of by December.

“My main focus is a strong finish,” he said.

Collectively, the Executive Board members of SPB handle events, and “they get full credit for them,” Conaway said, but Conaway will manage the scheduling aspect of each event, ensuring that everything is in on time.

Keeping students informed on what is taking place on campus is also a his responsibility.

Some of the upcoming events that SPB is planning include the WOCOU Talent Show: OU’s Got Talent, to be held on Tuesday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. in Meadow Brook Hall; a trip to Toronto from Nov. 11-14, and a Carrie Underwood concert at The Palace of Auburn Hills with discounted tickets.

Conaway is also a community service chair of the Association of Black Students at OU.

Since SPB occupies a large amount of his time, Conaway said it is hard for him to commit to other organizations. However, he said students can always find him at several campus events and that he helps out and supports other groups whenever he can.

The new SPB chair also enjoys playing several sports, including basketball anf football but also enjoys swimming when he has time.

“You can find me in the RAC every day,” he said.

Conaway hopes to continue his position of SPB chair until graduation. He will have to reapply after this semester comes to a close and would hold the position for a full year term if chosen.