Bumpy road in CAB's path

Are you in the mood for some real drama like the kind on daytime soap operas? Tune in every Monday at 12:30 pm in student center's room 120, where students from Texas A&M International University's Campus Activities Board (CAB) have their weekly meetings to discuss what they can and cannot do for their campus.Controversial issues where addressed during the Oct. 26 meeting, where Luis Stagg, President of CAB and Jerry Alva, CAB advisor, exchanged differences and directions of where CAB should go.An item that was brought up at the meeting was cutting down items such as food and gift bags at the annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony due to limited resources and for cost savings. Items discussed at the meeting were possibly eliminating events like Spring Fling and Pre-Exam Jam. One item that seems to be sticking around is Comedy Nights, which was funded with CAB money.In the beginning, Comedy Nights cost $45 for public/community members, $30 for faculty, and free for students. The event is now free for everyone due to poor attendance.Money is tight, especially in these dire economic times. There are ways to use the money in an effective and productive manner. Let's begin with the total cost of Comedy Nights, about $12,000 for 12 weeks.For starters, "Comedy nights was not established by CAB," said Stagg.Another item mentioned at the meeting was the whereabouts of $18,000."$18,000 was not taken. If you look at cost analysis, it would have stretched twelve events," said Alva.What could have CAB done with this money? "The money would have stretched to at least seven to fifteen events overall," said Jessica Cavazos, TAMIU student and Risk Management for CAB.According to Cavazos, "we've only had two events so far: The Wall and Loteria, whereas last year the money was utilized better. We could have used the money much better this year." By this time last year, we had conducted more events that were successful and required less money, she concluded."I believe that if we could cut down food, gift bags for the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony, we could come up with a cost effective way to produce an event," said Alva."What about the children? They enjoy gifts" said Cavazos. A TAMIU student who asked to remain anonymous commented on the Halloween Fest, "it was a disaster, and so was Midnight Madness. Everything was so much better last year (2008) and the years before." Halloween Fest is a CAB sponsored event.In the past, advisors used to work for the students, now CAB seems to work for student affairs. Within the last year, there have been more events to help promote TAMIU, but not diversity, the student concluded.What is CAB and what do they do? CAB is a student organization that sponsors cultural, social, educational and entertainment programs that are responsive to the diverse needs of the university community.TAMIU students wishing to express their opinion on CAB activities can show their support by attending their meetings every Monday at 12:30 p.m. at the Student Center, room 120.

Steps to strengthen future meetings and planning for events:

First, there is a four step process: research, planning, communication, and evaluation. It is a dynamic process in which any of these four phases can occur at any time. It requires knowledge of values, the beliefs and standards that govern one's actions. The key element is two-way communication. Perhaps, you need to create a SWOT analysis and John Dewey's Model to see what works and what doesn't. Remember, you want to define the problem, analyze the problem, and develop a set of criteria or standards by which to judge potential solutions. List possible alternatives, evaluate all solutions, and choose the best alternative solution. The John Dewey's Model is effective when communicating in "teams!"Where is CAB now? The officers and President of CAB, Luis Stagg, have no voice in any decisions that would help make TAMIU a success.Last but not least, a successful practitioner must answer these questions:1. How much can the public influence our organization's ability to achieve our goals? 2. What is the public's stake, or value, in its relationship with our organization?3. What is the demographic profile of the pubic?4. What is the psychographic profile of the public?5. What is the public's opinion of our organization?6. What is the public's opinion (if any) of the issue in question?Not until those questions are answered can successful public relations practitioners strive to build the relationships that will help an organization achieve its values-driven goals.