Tempris Daniels, Student Involvement Coordinator
University of Chicago
Which program board(s) do you oversee and what is an example of their events? The first programming board I advise is the Major Activities Board (MAB). Their largest event each year is the Summer Breeze Concert. This event is built festival style with 3-4 acts playing throughout the day, food, drinks, and attractions. The space holds 2250 students, selling out each year. Some of my personal favorite artists from the past include: T-Pain, Waka Flocka Falme , Tinashe, and Jeremih.
My second programming board is the Council on University Programming (COUP). Kuviasungnerk/Kaneiko, also known as KUVIA, is a week-long winter festival that starts at 6:00am with morning sun salutations and student organization (RSOs) workshops and evening events such as Hot Chocolate Night with Alumni. This event is a strong tradition on campus with an attendance of about 1000 students.
What is your favorite part of your job? That’s so tough to choose! The first one is definitely the interaction with students. I have two programming boards that create fantastic programs, 60 other student organizations who have events going on throughout the year, and student staff that are employees in our Activity Center. Being able to brainstorm, create, and advise such a variety of programs is exciting to me. To see students faces light up during their event because it was a success is the reason I do what I do. To supervise students in our Activity Center and have them take ownership over the space is a huge goal I had for them. My second favorite thing is the interactions I have with vendors and agents. I get the amazing opportunity to build-relationships and learn from everyone I work with throughout the year. It makes my job so amazing when you work with people who are so genuine and love what they do.
How do you prepare for day of show? As an advisor, I work hard during the weeks leading up to the show to make sure the day of show runs as smooth as possible. As it relates to MAB, the students do a fantastic job making sure the day-of schedule is ready and communicate with Melissa to make sure all her questions are answered. I work with the University to make sure we complete the event brief and checks are available for the artists. I also create two phone chains to make sure everyone has easy access to each other and are informed about what is going on that day. One chain staff in my office colleagues, Deans-on-Call, campus security, and etc. while the other includes program boards students, tech team, and Melissa. It also important to have everyone’s food orders before the day-of show and prep any staff members who are working the event a couple of days before the event. To make day-of show prep complete, I make sure every document and contact I may need is on my phone for easy access. Finally, I like to get a great night of sleep and take a deep breath the morning of. Large- scale events on campus are an exciting, memorable time for students and myself!
Fun Fact: What is your favorite destination to visit? Vietnam by far! I spent 6 weeks travelling to Hanoi, Hue, and Ho Chi Minh city and then another week in Hong Kong. It was an eventful experience I was able to cherish with some of my best friends.