SUFAC and CAB bring involvement opportunities to UWL students

Rachel Mergen, Staff Reporter

Two University of Wisconsin-La Crosse organizations that truly define many of the activities that students find themselves enjoying on a regular basis are Segregated University Fee Allocation Committee (SUFAC) and Campus Activities Board (CAB). The students themselves that participate are able to make decisions that affect the daily lives of their peers.

“The goal is that university money is being used properly,” Vice Chair of SUFAC Kelsi Meyer stated. SUFAC is able to help decide how the allocable fees, the funds that can be spread out throughout the campus based on the wants of the students, will be distributed unbiasedly within the school’s budget towards different organizations, including sports teams, music programs, and student clubs.  The fees over time have been set towards the recreational center, student union, and the health center.

A new branch of SUFAC, called NUFAS, works with directors across campus to examine the use of the non-allocable fees. Meyer is the chair of the new organization.

Meyer noted, “It’s good that students have a voice in where their money goes.” Students can participate by contacting members of SUFAC and the student association and applying to join. With their last meeting of the semester already having occurred, they will once again restart their mission in the fall.

In the future, SUFAC will be facing some new changes as organizations change their ways of funding and new rules are set in place. “It’s a really important time for students to be involved,” Meyer noted as she prepares to adapt to upcoming changes.

CAB, on the other hand, brings events to campus, including weekly movie nights and concerts. According to CAB Event Coordinator Samantha Fake, “Some of the main goals of CAB is to bring cultural, educational, fun and entertaining events to campus for students to enjoy. We also strive to open our events up to the community so they can enjoy them too. We try to bring in a variety of entertainment ranging from comedians, musicians, spoken-word artists, magicians and even hypnotists. Overall, our main goal is to get people involved in events that they maybe haven’t seen before and let them experience new things.”

The moto of the organization is “Everyone welcome. Always.” Students can be involved in the planning of events by attending the board’s meetings at 5 p.m. every first and third Tuesday on the third floor of the Student Union.

“General members help to vote on different artists we bring to campus and what movies we play on Thursdays and Fridays. They also have the opportunity to help at our events. Between setting up, taking down, helping run the event, and also contacting certain people who help make the event a success all go into the hands-on experience we try to give our members,” Fake mentioned.

Students can also receive updates about upcoming events by texting “@uwlcab” to 81010, while also keeping their eyes on the school’s televisions and posters.

In the future, CAB looks forward to welcoming Haley Klinkhammer once again to perform on May 1. They are also busy preparing for the big fall concert next semester.