Kailah Collins is president of the Campus Activity Board, one of the most influential student organizations at Detroit Mercy. Collins shared insights on the board’s mission, upcoming events and how it plans to create a more engaging and inclusive campus experience. It has a passion for enhancing student involvement and its vision for the future of campus activities.
When asked what the goals and missions of the Campus Activity Board are, Collins said, “Our mission is to create an active campus life experience for commuters as well as residents. We want to create an environment similar to a coffee shop where we can socialize, have treats, and fun events for students.”
The Campus Activity Board, formerly known as the Student Programming Board, has been revised after noticing a significant decrease in campus events and participation due to the impact of COVID-19.
The organization is segmented into two key areas: multicultural programming and event planning. The multicultural area of CAB focuses on hosting various cultural events on campus, while educating individuals on various cultures and spreading cultural awareness amongst peers.
Collins spoke about the diversity aspect of the organization and said, “We want to work directly with them so that we can not only just educate students about all the different cultures that they could, they could learn about from their peers, that it’s in the school, but also they might like something, whether it’s food or music. We want to create more diverse spaces and show everyone that their culture is welcome here, celebrate it, and properly educate.”
The event planning committee of the Campus Activity Board oversees organizing highly anticipated annual events that unite the campus community.
Some well-known events that it organizes is “Safety Street,” where the students that are a part of the neighborhood and schools can safely trick-or-treat at different stations and give them the opportunity to dress up in their costumes.
The Halloween Boo Bash is also an event that is filled with celebration, games and treats for students to enjoy.
The Valentine’s Day party is an impactful event that the organization held that had a successful turnout. They had candy-grams, craft activities and raffles that were included in the event; it’s hoped to have an even bigger turnout this upcoming semester.
The next event that is being held by Campus Activity Board is the annual Boo Bash, taking place on Oc. 31 from 4-6 in Zalke Lounge located in the Student Union.
You can find information about upcoming events on its Instagram page @udmcampusactivityboard_23