Campus Activities Board has felt a little different this semester. In previous semesters CAB events just felt a little deflated. I could always feel the potential there but I feel like they frequently fell flat. This semester has been a different experience though. CAB hasn’t been too bad. 

Now four weeks into the semester each event has had perfectly reasonable turnouts. More important than just the numbers though the fact is that the events have been full of energy. The comedian the first week packed Redwood. Free bowling in week two didn’t have an open lane in the entire place. The CAB Coffee House as they called it was phenomenal. Now week four’s Indoor Ice Skating is in the books and it lived up the expectations the previous weeks events set up.

Each time I have walked into a CAB event this semester there has actually been people there. And on top of that the people that were there seemed to be smiling, or laughing. I was so surprised the first time I saw it that I thought that I needed to do further research. When it was indeed the case at the next event I decided to recruit more help. So my girlfriend and I went to the CAB Coffee House and both of us had a good time. That’s when I knew something was up.

I approached the Collegian and asked if I could write a column on CAB. With everything that happens at Ashland *please note sarcasm* it was a very difficult sell. But then as I was doing the pre-writing I started giving deeper thought to the CAB events that have occurred. They have been much more about a community. They have been about going out and doing stuff with the people that you have fun with. And they have been in really cool, inviting atmospheres.

Living in Jacobs has allowed me the opportunity to see Redwood lit up for each event. And so far every week it has look beautiful. The use of lights and candles has made the room more unique and intimate. The way the events have been set up allows those in attendance the option to interact with others if they wish or to just do their own thing. The general members of CAB have seemed more relaxed and like they feel good about what they are doing. The pressure that I used to feel at CAB events has dissipated and it makes them so much better.

So I say well done to you CAB. I look forward to the rest of the semester.