When Simpson College students attend an event on campus, many of them are usually looking to have fun. Some go to listen to music performed by various bands, while others go just to hang out with their friends. Many students don’t realize that without the Campus Activities Board, also known as CAB, none of these events would be possible.

“The Campus Activities Board is an organization open to all the student body,” senior CAB President Mack Worthington said. “We organize all types of entertainment and acts.”

“[We organize] bands, comedians, the Stand Around, and homecoming activities,” senior CAB member Amy Jo Jacobsen said.

The events CAB has planned for this year include country musician Jeff Allen, who had to reschedule his initial performance date due to a scheduling conflict.

“He was originally scheduled for September 14, but that has since shifted,” Rich Ramos, assistant dean for student activities, said. “He is now schedule for November 17 with his band.”

Although this is his first time at Simpson, Allen is no stranger to college campuses. According to Ramos, he has been to Shippensburg, Drew, and Southwest Minnesota State, among other colleges. He has also performed at clubs and casinos.

Allen, like other musicians who come to campus, was selected based on his performance at a conference that was sponsored by the National Association for Campus Activities, also known as NACA.

“It’s a four-to-five day conference, with literally hundreds of acts,” Worthington said. “[Allen] was booked at NACA, and we got a wide range of acoustic acts.”

In the case of Allen, CAB had a unique reason for deciding to bring him to campus.

“We thought that since we hadn’t had country on campus before, we decided to try something new,” Jacobsen said.

“It’s probably our first venture into country,” Ramos said. “Hopefully, people will give it a try.”

Besides Allen, Jacobsen said there are many more musical acts that CAB has scheduled for this year.

“A few people that we’ve had last year and a few new acts as well [are coming],” she said. “One of our favorites is Raining Jane.”

According to their official web site, Raining Jane formed in 1999 in Los Angeles. They are described as an “independent, eclectic rock-folk band.”

The web site also states their “live shows bring out the best of the music and personalities of Raining Jane, with a dynamic stage presence and all-or nothing delivery. They are known for their exuberance, sincerity and musical deftness, and for putting on a show that will make audiences think, feel and laugh.”

In addition to attending conferences, CAB also welcomes student input about bands on campus.

“We are always open to student interest,” Worthington said. “We do our best to feasibly find somebody.”

One change to CAB this year is moving the times of the performances.

“We have moved all acts on Fridays and Saturdays to 9:00 instead of 10:00,” Worthington said.

The reasoning behind the switch was because of the competition with Signatures, another popular destination with Simpson students.

“If we moved it up an hour, it would give students an opportunity to attend both,” Worthington said.

For students interested in joining CAB, Worthington said it is open to everyone.

“We have all levels of participation,” he said. “We accept anything people are willing to do. We try to work everybody in and make a place for everybody. [I] really got involved about halfway through sophomore year. It’s not hard to get involved and take initiative.”

Like Worthington, Jacobsen also joined in her sophomore year.

“[I enjoy] working with students I normally wouldn’t get a chance to meet,” Jacobsen said.

CAB meets every Wednesday night in the CAB lounge at 6:00 p.m.

“I encourage everybody to check out the meetings,” Worthington said.