If you walk into a Student Activities Board meeting at Saint
Louis University, you will be a member of SAB, whether you like it
or not.

This is the nature of a student organization that will welcome
every student into their fun-loving family, no questions asked.
“You walk in, and you’re a member of the SAB family,” SAB President
Eric Immel said.

These meetings take place every Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Busch
Student Center, and all attendees are considered to be “members at
large.” These members carry less of a load than those in SAB’s
upper echelon, and while they do not have voting privileges, they
have the opportunity to get involved in the organization of SAB
events and will always know what’s going on around campus. There is
nothing required of these members, nor are there any expectations,
so it is a great way to start getting involved with the SLU
community.

In order to obtain a voting membership, an application and
interview process is requisite. There is no limit to the number of
voting members that can exist within the organization at a given
time: Applications are processed on a rolling basis throughout the
year. These members are expected to attend one meeting each week,
as well as all of SAB’s events; they hold two office hours per
week, which is hardly a chore, given the laid-back atmosphere of
the SAB office.

Located in the Student Organization suite across from the
Marketplace in the Busch Student Center, there is only one serious
piece of machinery in the room: a computer resting on a singular
desk. Posters cover the walls in remembrance of past SAB events,
and the presence of the foosball table next to the desk and the
basketball hoop above the door reinforce the low-stress atmosphere
of the space.

“There’s usually music playing, and there are always people
here,” Immel said, gesturing toward the office’s two couches. Just
beyond them are shelves laden with games. The place looks and feels
more like a dorm room than an office.

Where there is fun to be had, however, there is work to be done:
SAB’s executive board consists of six vice presidents and one
president, all of whom contribute a concerted effort to bring big
entertainers to SLU and organize smaller social events within the
community. These members have both a workload and responsibility on
their shoulders, but these positions are a privilege to hold. Those
starting out in the organization should not be intimidated: “We
have two sophomores on the exec board this year,” Immel said.
“Anyone can hold these positions.”

The Student Activities Board is already in the process of
booking artists for this year’s Spring Fever concert. Until then,
students can look forward to Ben Folds’ performance on Oct. 8, an
event accompanied by all the well-to-do of Homecoming Week, which
takes place from Oct. 2-9.

SAB, along with the Residence Hall Association, Student
Government Association and other organizations, are organizing Rock
the Vote event to take place on Oct. 25. MTV’s “Real World” cast
members of seasons-past will come to SLU as part of the effort to
encourage Americans to get out to the polls for this year’s
presidential election.

SAB has also planned to bring comedians to campus once again.
Lined up are Pablo Francisco of Last Comic Standing and Horatio
Sanz of Saturday Night Live.

SAB will continue to bring the standard fare that students look
forward to each year: From the very simplest Grilled Cheese Nights,
to the food-drive benefit Canapalooza and the Foam Party on Sept.
9, expect great things from SAB this year, both big and small.

Attend a Tuesday meeting or stop by room 245 in the BSC to get
involved.