I have lived in the Greenville community for the past 10 years of my life. I grew up hearing about all the concerts that Furman has brought in the past few years. From Ed Sheeran to Drake, I could not believe the type of acts that Furman was bringing to the Greenville Area. I always thought that these acts were brought by hired Furman staff, but when I learned Furman students actually plan and bring these acts, I was stunned.
Furman has excellent programming boards on campus. Our Residential Life Council, Furman Creative Collaborative, and Student Alumni Council all bring great programming to our campus, but I have had the privilege of working with Furman University Student Activity Board. We are a group of 55 quirky individuals that all have a passion for event planning. We are split into five different committees:
1. Annual- Shockingly, this committee plans events that happen annually. They help plan our Homecoming festivities, conduct a campus-wide game of tag, and throw a giant bash on the last day of class (LDOC).
2. Off Campus- This committee does everything that does not occur on Furman’s campus. They have events like Harry Potter Yule Balls to having a swanky evening at a restaurant and a show at the Peace Center. My favorite Off-Campus event is a yearly trip to the Biltmore in December. Everyone dresses up really nice and there is great food and the Biltmore is so nicely decorated.
3. Concert- This committee plans concerts. Who would have thunk? They have brought artists like Sam Hunt, Moon Taxi, Borns, T-Pain, Waka Flocka Flame, and like I said before Drake and Ed Sheeran. They also hold a Battle of the Bands Competition.
4. Special- Any event that does not fall into the above three categories is conducted by the Special Committee. From Dodgeball Tournaments to Haunted Trails to DIY Bouquet Stations to Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre, this committee only limitation is their imagination. About once a year they bring a comedian to campus. We have seen Seth Myers, Keenan Thompson, Bo Burnham, and Zach Galifianakis.
5. Marketing- This group has a special place in my heart since I am the chair of this committee. This group is in charge of advertising the other committee’s events in unique and quirky ways. From dressing up in flashy costumes and creating a commercial to designing and creating stickers.
This board is just an event planning club, it is a family. My closest and best friends all come from this board. Not only have I had a pleasant experience within this group, but I have learned SOOOOO many important life skills. Leading a committee has been a challenge, but so has been learning graphic design. This group continues to impress me more and more each year, and if you come to Furman I would encourage you to come to our events or even apply to be on the board!