By Cait Kemp
@caitlinkemp09
Living on campus with so many restrictions and guidelines can make it difficult to have fun for students. Between the limit on the amount of people in a dorm room, to the constant wearing of masks, there are a lot of rules that need to be followed in an attempt to keep the community safe and healthy.
However, regardless of the importance of these rules, there is a campus full of kids who want to interact with each other and it can be disheartening to not be able to do just that.
That is where Springfield’s Campus Activities Board, better known as CAB, comes into play. CAB has always worked to bring fun and engaging activities to students, but it has proved an even more important task with COVID making it more complicated to do such activities.
“As always, we work better together. In this time, we have some students remote and some in person, and we want to attend to both so being creative and (having) effective communication has been our best strategy,” said Co-Chair Payton Lynch.
CAB began the semester with a welcome back week themed as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, having both online and in-person events that mirrored that theme.
There was a Golden Ticket virtual search, Candy Carnival, online candy bar bingo, make your own candy zen garden and the grand opening of the ice rink on the Admin green.
“We have several virtual events that we allow everyone and anyone to attend. We have had many in person events following COVID guidelines, such as social distancing wearing masks and gloves, as well as sanitizing regularly,” said Cassie Clinton, CAB’s Bingo and Trivia Chair.
Despite the staggered move-in for the semester, they made sure there was something to do for everyone, whether they were on campus or still at home.
CAB’s dedication to creating activities has continued throughout the semester, and now that the weather is nicer it gives the chance to get back outside and have distanced events in bigger spaces.
“As always, we want to plan fun and engaging events for the whole student body. We are excited for the early warm spring weather so our events will be happening mostly outside and more people can attend,” said Lynch.
With the transition to spring, the ice rink was taken down and a beach was put up in its place. It offers not only a place where students can hang out, but it is the location where many activities will take place the rest of the semester.
CAB also has meetings every Monday night where all students are invited to join to learn more about the club and the plans that they are creating. This offers students a way to get to know the leadership within CAB and maybe even find an interest in what they are doing and join the club.
The success of the activities even during COVID has been great. Students have been eager to participate in events, seeing it as a good way to get out of their dorms and do something different and fun during a time that has brought so much uncertainty.
Among the activities, the DIY events have been one of the most popular things that students keep coming back for.
“This year we have had a great turn out for Thrifty Thursday events and two have even sold out completely. The most popular this semester was the DIY Spotify boards and DIY air plants. For the DIY Spotify boards students present their pictures so everything was ready they just picked it up,” said Sidney Ratliff, the Thrifty Thursday Chair.
“For DIY air plants the turnout was unexpected, the event was completely sold out in 35 minutes… In general, I have been looking at tik tok trends and it has been working out amazingly,” Ratliff added.
Along with being very active on campus, CAB also makes sure to keep up with social media so students always know what is going on.
Between a Facebook page, an Instagram profile, and a Snapchat account (Springfield College CAB, and @scpridecab, respectively), there is a way for everyone to know and keep updated with events, pop ups and activities that are taking place around campus.
It is a fun way to find out about different things and an easy way to communicate with members of the club.
This week, CAB has several exciting events planned, such as “New York Comes to SC” on Friday, April 9.
This event will bring in fun aspects of the city, like a hot dog food truck, graffiti art, and luggage tags. Also, this weekend is a self-care bag making event, and a thrifting day that features items from small businesses of students on campus.
Lynch said, “We want to provide students with a time that they aren’t stressed about school work, tests… and allow them to come make a craft, play a game or just laugh and hang out with their friends.”
CAB continues to make an enjoyable environment for students on campus, no matter what comes in their way. Their goal is to help people have fun times, and they are doing just that.
Be sure to follow the social media accounts and check for emails that inform about what events CAB is putting on.
Photo: Springfield College CAB