Union Board works overtime on campus

Union Board is the leading student programming organization at IU.

Three executive team members and a group of committee directors work to plan activities for the Indiana Memorial Union and the campus, including concerts, lectures and debates.

Although every director has specific responsibilities regarding program proposals, the members must be unanimously in favor of the programs before they can be planned.
“It really forces all 20 of us on Board to work together with each other and make the most subjective, informed decision on what to program for the campus community at IU,” said Sean Liston, president of Union Board.

Liston’s job as president is to oversee all that goes on during the meetings and in the office.

“I love the responsibility of working with the policy of the Union Board Constitution, working with faculty, creating new ideas for a Union as a whole and representing Union Board in an official capacity,” Liston said.

Erika Hall, lectures committee director at Union Board, is surprised by the fact that there are many IU students that are unaware of the board’s activities.

“It’s really too bad, because we always have so many events going on,” Hall said.
One of the Union Board’s committees is the outreach committee, which works as a liaison for Union Board and the IU community as a whole. 

Shannon Cook, the director of the outreach committee, said her job requires her to collaborate with new organizations and campus departments in order to employ diverse programs with the purpose of educating students and encouraging awareness of present issues.  

“I could not find a better environment to grow as a leader,” Cook said.
Cook said that the outreach committee has worked with a variety of organizations this year alone, and plans to keep on doing so. A few of the committee’s prior events include a Super Bowl party and student-driven workshops. 

“All in all, it is an extremely rewarding and fun experience,” said Liston.