CAB recognized at national campus activities conference

Eastern Connecticut State University's Campus Activity Board (CAB) again earned various accolades at this year's National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) Providence Conference. The meeting took place Oct. 24-26 at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

Among the honors received, Eastern was one of two schools in the Northeast to win Excellence in Programming, with a presentation given by Meghan and Amanda Wrobel. In addition, CAB won Best Marketing Innovation in the event's marketing competition.

Several individuals also won awards, including student leaders Nikki Flynn and Troi Branham as well as Alyssa Duffy, associate director of student activities at Eastern. Students Alexandra Lavelle, Addy Barreira and MJ Jackson also attended as delegates.

"While we only had a handful of student delegates on site for the conference, it is a reflection of our whole team and their drive to positively represent one another," said Duffy, who volunteered as communication team lead for the NACA Northeast Regional Leadership Team. "Words don't even begin to describe how proud I am of the student leaders that I get to work with each and every day."

Excellence in Programming

Siblings Meghan and Amanda Wrobel showcased three CAB events. They selected the "Inside Out and About" event, based on the movie "Inside Out;" Eastern's annual Winterfest; and the new "Camp Half-blood" event, based on the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" literary series.

"I think these events were the best to talk about for this presentation not only because they were successful, but also because they altogether represent the variety of events we host on our campus," said Meghan, a senior art major and four-year member of CAB.

Meghan continued: "'Inside Out and About' was a homegrown event that we used all our own materials for, Winterfest is an annual event that includes interdepartmental collaboration and has also grown significantly into the day-long event it is today, and our Camp Half-blood event was a more creative program that got students excited.

"I believe showcasing the variety we have in addition to what made each event successful is important and may have been what set us apart from other universities."

In their second appearance at NACA, Meghan viewed the conference as a meeting of the minds: "We attended a social where we got to mingle with other student programmers and talk about the things we have implemented into our programming, and that was one of the main events where I took away a lot of inspiration from what other schools were doing."

CAB is a family affair for Meghan and Amanda, which mutually strengthens their relationship: "By being a part of CAB, (Amanda) has helped me to grow as well and has further fostered our relationship as siblings. Working together in this capacity and being able to share our successes with the team is an amazing experience."

Individual Honors

Flynn was one of four recipients of this year's Ken M. Bedini Student Leader Award. Honorees are undergraduate students who demonstrate good academic standing, hold a strong record of leadership positions on campus and contribute meaningfully to their school's community.

The award is named after Bedini, a 1978 graduate of Eastern who served the University in a variety of roles for nearly 40 years, namely as vice president for student affairs for nine years.

Branham won the Northeast Diversity Achievement Award. This honor recognizes student leaders in the Northeast who assist in developing programs to foster cultural diversity and awareness on their respective college campuses.

Duffy won the Maureen McDermott/Michelle Delaney award, an honor named in part after Delaney, Eastern's vice president for student affairs. Duffy was recognized for her work in developing student leadership skills and advising.