The University Program Board (UPB) held its annual ‘welcome back’ event in the quad during common hour on Tuesday which came with free gifts and a large crowd.
The event consisted of a luau theme and included stations with airbrush t-shirts, painted Frisbees, caricature drawings, snow cones, free bamboo plants and a mechanical surfboard.
“It’s still summer and this event is a way to get everybody in the mood that school has started, but summer is still going on,” UPB Director of University Events and junior public relations major, Mallory Milberger said.
Milberger said that the ‘welcome back’ event has never had a theme before, so she chose the luau because it was different from what the club has done before.
“It’s a nice way to start the beginning of the semester,” Milberger said.
During one of the intense games of musical chairs, freshman public health major, Aeryana Dunham, took the winning title and won herself a $25 gift card for Amazon.
“It made my mood happier and it was all free, so I wanted to come,” Dunham said.
Milberger said her biggest desire was to have students who are new to campus come to the event and get out of their dorm rooms in order to see the campus more and meet new people.
The President of UPB and senior public health major, Brandon Quinn, said it’s great to get involved with the club and events because of the opportunities that come with UPB.
“Some people have told us that they really appreciate and love what we do for the students of the campus as well as the community as a whole,” Quinn said.
There are five committees involved with the University Program Board including the university events committee, the community service committee, the concerts and comedians committee, the speakers and lectures committee and the media relations committee.
“The activities and people are really fun and I’m really excited about school starting again,” sophomore elementary and special education major, Adrianna Bielby, said.
Quinn said that UPB is always hosting fun events like the luau for the students of Slippery Rock.
“They’re not just fun; they have a background that can be entertaining, educational and possibly life-changing depending on who it is,” Quinn said.
“I definitely recommend these events, especially to freshmen, because then they get out and get to meet new people,” Bielby said.
Quinn said that the students can expect new and different events this year due to the executive board of UPB changing their options and experimenting with new ideas that the students will love.
“Some other cool events are in the works right now, so I hope people keep their eyes out on social media and come join UPB,” Milberger said.
