By Sofia Montoya-Deck
Hood’s Campus Activities Board (CAB) members say they are hoping to get students active and involved this semester.
According to the club’s president, Natalia Herboso, CAB is a club for everyone. “Campus Activities Board is just a club where it doesn’t matter what your interests are, where you come from or what you enjoy,” she said. “It’s just a place for students to connect, have fun and meet new people.”
The organization has had a successful first half of the semester with events such as a “Welcome Back Bingo” that offered a TV, headphones and other prizes to winners, a “Who Knows Their Partner Best?” Valentine’s game show, and “Fill-A-Friend,” where students could make their own stuffed animals.
“Fill-A-Friend was a huge success,” CAB’s vice president, Alba Reyes, said. “We host this event every spring semester and we always run out of stuffed animals within the first half hour because of how well-attended it is. From the feedback we’ve received, it’s one of the events undergrads look forward to the most.”
Some of the organization’s upcoming events include “Pizza Tasting,” a “Battle of the Classes” competition, and “De-stress Massages.”
The pizza tasting on April 3 will consist of various specialty pizzas from local restaurants, including vegetarian and vegan options. “We like to support small business in Frederick,” Herboso said.
On April 10, CAB will host a Battle of the Classes on the quad where students can represent their graduation year by wearing their class colors and dinks while competing in field day activities. Some of the games included will be cup pong, flip cup, volleyball, flag football and water guns. BBQ food, as well as refreshments, will also be available at the event.
CAB will also once again host their de-stress massages on May 7 before finals week. Closer to the event, students will be emailed a link to sign up for time slots.
According to Herboso, CAB finds success in repeating events that have worked well in previous years. So, if there is an event that people especially liked or may have missed out on, there is always next year.
Most recently, CAB hosted their annual Margaret Hood Ball. The theme for this year’s formal event was prom. “The graduating class did not get their prom senior year in high school, so we wanted a place for students to relive that experience where they get to figure out their prom dress, have a corsage and just have a fun time to dance and eat food with your friends,” Herboso said.
“We’ve been planning the dance very thoughtfully as we want everyone to get that experience of going to prom,” Reyes said.
When it comes to brainstorming new events, the CAB executive board typically meets before the start of the semester to discuss what events the club should plan. “It’s definitely a lot of collaboration,” Herboso said.
CAB has many upcoming activities in the works, one of which is an off-campus trip. Students were sent an email in late February allowing them to vote for their favorite option between Hershey Park, Busch Gardens, Urban Air and Sky Zone.
“My favorite thing about being a part of CAB is experiencing our planned programs come to life in fun and collaborative environments, as well as taking trips to fun places like NYC, Hershey Park and DC,” Reyes said.
For students looking for fun activities on campus and opportunities to meet new people, CAB events are a great place to start.
“I think that [CAB] helps people explore meeting new people that they probably wouldn’t run into because of their major or the sport that they play,” Herboso said. “For students who don’t have many friends, it’s a great place to find friends.”
CAB invites all students to attend their weekly events on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in Whitaker Campus Commons. “Our club is for people who have different political beliefs, or that are different races, genders, sexualities – it doesn’t matter,” Herboso said. “It’s just about having fun.”
For those interested in joining CAB at the executive level, the club typically recruits new members in the fall semester. According to Herboso, executive board positions generally open up at the beginning of the semester, especially after vacancies due to graduating members.
“It takes a lot of leadership,” Herboso said of joining the executive board. “They learn quite a lot about many different topics, about working with others, leadership, event planning. It’s a great club to be a part of.”
In addition to the executive board, CAB also has standard members. Members are offered hours in the form of volunteering to help at events, including setup and cleanup. This year, CAB instilled an initiative where members can win a prize for accumulating the most volunteer hours.
“It’s a great way to be a part of the club, because it’s getting to see the behind the scenes,” Herboso said. “We’re always looking for help so if people are interested, they can always reach out to us.”
Those interested in joining CAB can contact the organization via email at cab@hood.edu.
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