By AUDREY JENKINS – STAFF WRITER
If you have never heard of them, been to an event they’ve put on, or at least seen the Student Activities Council (SAC) logo on a flyer at Centre by now, there is a high probability you’ve been living under a rock.
“The function of SAC is to plan over 50 events on campus each year to reach as much of the campus as possible,” Vice President of Administration and senior Rachel West said. “We keep up certain campus traditions, like Homecoming and Carnival, and try to do new, innovative events to provide a social outlet for Centre students… Most importantly, we’re about having fun,” West explained. “I got involved with SAC because I’ve always been interested in event planning, and planning events that the campus would enjoy seemed like something fun to do… I stayed because it’s fun to work with all the people in SAC, and to hang out at all the events.”
Both West and SAC President, senior Chris Elmlinger, believe that the function of SAC on Centre’s campus is a vital one. “SAC provides programming to the entire student body, completely free of charge. We have a big budget that we love to use by putting on events that the students of Centre can enjoy,” Elmlinger said.
SAC has already put on a plethora of events this year, such as bringing in an airbrush artist to make personalized T-shirts at the first CC After Dark event. They have also hosted tailgates for athletic events, brought comedian Derek Hughes to campus for Family Weekend, and co-hosted Breck Beach Lawn games. In the past few years, SAC has hosted concerts with acts such as Girl Talk and Eric Hutchinson, semi-formals, hypnotists, the Silent Disco, a Murder Mystery Dinner, and Live Band Karaoke.
SAC hosts such a large variety of different events because they recognize and appreciate the huge diversity of interests on campus. “We’re trying to make the campus more fun and make sure everyone has events that they enjoy attending. You should care about SAC because you care about having fun, about being playful and meeting new people, and having a good time,” West said.
Every SAC event is open to the entirety of the Centre community, but West and Elmlinger both encourage Centre students to be active in the planning process as well.
SAC hosts a General Session meeting once a month that is open to all students, and those more interested can join a specific committee. “My favorite part about being in SAC is working with the other students in SAC. People stay in SAC because they genuinely love the events and love making sure other people are having a good time. They’re just a fun bunch to spend time with,” West said.
If you would like to get involved in SAC or have an idea for an event, email c.elmlinger@centre.edu or rachel.west@centre.edu.