It could be said that the University Program Council (UPC) at South Dakota State University is an organization in charge of the fun at SDSU.
The University Program Council is a student-led programming organization made up of 10 students who work to provide free or low-cost educational, diverse, entertaining and engaging events aimed at the general student body. The council has organized countless events over its history at SDSU, and so far this semester, they’ve put on six.
“We put on 12 to 15 events per semester, ranging from trivia or bingo to music festivals and movies in the pool,” Emma Brookman, the president of UPC, said.
Brookman said that these events are a great way to get out, meet people who have similar interests, take a break from studying, try something new and have fun. And she’s not the only one who thinks these events are fun.
Joey Hiedeman, an SDSU senior who has been attending their events for years, said the events “…make it really easy to connect and have fun with new people while bringing some friends along as well.”
Brookman explained UPC’s planning process, which puts events in motion the semester prior to the event date. It works to fully plan all aspects of an event and allows UPC time to involve other student organizations. This method of planning also allows the organization to quickly add an event to a semester if another student organization comes to them with an event that they want to put on.
So far this semester, UPC has put on events like the Research Mini Series, Tag. Aim. Fire!, Dive In Movie, Couples’ Game and Generational Trivia. They have more planned.
These events can be expensive to run, but UPC does have a budget. According to Students’ Association President Trinity Peterson, UPC doesn’t fundraise but instead receives money from the General Activity Fee that all students taking credits at SDSU must pay. This fee is decided on by SA’s Finance Committee and is then sent to be approved by President Barry Dunn. This year, UPC receives $2.40 out of the $50.85 that each student pays per credit.
Peterson said she strongly believes in UPC and thinks the organization is an important and beneficial part of campus life here at SDSU.
“The UPC provides the majority of free events for students, and while some universities have full-time staff dedicated to planning events, SDSU has the dedicated students of the UPC,” Peterson said. “Overall, working with the UPC has been great.”
For students who want to help with this initiative by joining UPC, UPC is hiring and you can join a team under one of the coordinators in special events, social awareness, marketing, films & forums, arts, recreation & travel and showcase. You can also apply to be a coordinator, which is a paid position. The best way to go about doing this is to reach out to Brookman or one of the coordinators that corresponds to the team you want to join.
