Beauty and the Beast

While BYU is primarily known for excellent academic work and honesty, the university is also known for sponsoring a variety of fun and wholesome social activities. One of the preference dances organized this year was Beauty and the Beast themed. I had the opportunity of attending this dance. The event was very formal and attendees were dressed accordingly. There was a light cake refreshment and a live band playing romantic songs. Upstairs there was a hip hop room designed to make sure those who did not want to dance to slow songs could still have fun.

At the event, I had the opportunity to talk to Bernice Djanie, a 22-year-old Senior who is studying Public Health. Djanie remarked that she felt the scenery was perfect because it created a romantic setting where couples could express their love for each other. There was also a performance from the ballroom dance company. Two teams performed separate dance numbers that were extremely well done.

For the most part, everyone in attendance enjoyed the Beauty and the Beast performance dance. Towards the end of the dance, a student remarked that she had “found her beast at the dance” and was very happy she made it.

-Jane

Students enjoy an evening with Woody, Buzz... and their date

Is there a better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than dancing the night away at one of the four preference dances? BYUSA planned four Disney themed dances: Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.

At the Toy Story dance, held at Fat Cats Bowling. Couples enjoyed bowling, pizza, games and dancing. Breanna, Easton, Nicole and Mark made Toy Story character shirts to celebrate the dance. The two couples enjoyed bowling and, they all agreed, they love BYUSA activities. Nicole said “I like the variety of dances like this, where there are fun things to do like bowling and games. I always enjoy BYUSA events.” Breanna is involved in the hip-hop club on campus, and admires BYUSA for being able to involve such a large campus in many fun activities.

There were many couples who dressed up and enjoyed the Toy Story spirit of the dance. BYUSA volunteers handed out fun snack foods, including pizza, astronaut ice cream, cotton candy, and different fruit sodas. A DJ provided great music for everyone to enjoy. BYU student Easton summed it up when he said the dance “created beautiful memories.”

2010-11 BYUSA Presidency

We are excited to announce the new presidency for the 2010-11 school year!

President

Chris Peterson

Executive Vice President

Sterling May

VP Campus Activities

Bekah Coenen

VP Student Honor

KariElle Thalman

VP Clubs

Brittanie Steele

Assistant to the President of Administration

Mary Teichert

Assistant to the President of Communications

Sarah Burroughs

They will be officially sworn into office the first day of the 2010 Spring Term.

Executive Director applications for next year are still available in the BYUSA office, WSC 3400.

Congratulations!

Applications for Next Year's Positions

Join the Team!
Apply now to be a Vice President or Executive Director for next year!

We are currently accepting applications for several positions within BYUSA for the 2010-11 school year. This is a perfect opportunity to get involved on campus and make a difference in the BYU community. Through volunteering as a BYUSA officer you will be able to serve the students on campus and advise the administration on student issues. You will get to work directly with Chris and Sterling, next year's elected president and executive vice president, to create an overall theme for the coming year.

Each area of BYUSA will have one Vice President/Assistant to the President and 3-4 Executive Directors. You can apply for positions in the following areas:

• Student Honor
• Clubs
• Campus Activities
• Student Advisory Council
• Communications
• Administration

(*note: Student Advisory Council does not have a VP position available. The Executive Vice President is over the area.)

Applications for VP/AP positions are due Wednesday, March 10, 2010.
ED applications are due Friday, March 19, 2010.

You can pick up an application in the BYUSA office--WSC 3400. Applications should be turned in to the front desk of the BYUSA office.

If you have any questions, please come visit our office anytime M-F between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The Candidates!

BYUSA election time is here again, and even if all you're doing is walking to and from campus with earphones in place, you've probably seen the smiling signs for this year's new batch of candidates. Here's the lowdown on the issues the candidates are highlighting:

Andrew & Deidre: Andrew & Deidre plan to help BYU by providing more internet coverage across campus, striving to improve BYU's rank in order to help students be more competitive in the workplace and graduate schools, and working with Provo city leadership to make policies helping students. They also want to sponsor a campus fundraiser for world hunger and inspire student unity by holding intramural finals in the Marriott Center.

Chris & Sterling: The sole all-male team wants to expand the services of BYUSA by making representatives and campus policies more accessible to students and by combining the BYUSA and campus calendars to make more people aware of activities. Chris & Sterling want to bring back Honor Week by involving as many campus organizations as they can, plan to create a better campus map for students and visitors, and plan to take Mayor Curtis, who promised to work with the BYU community, at his word.


Elections take place this week. The Primaries are already over, so vote for the finals from now through Friday. Visit the BYUSA homepage for detailed instructions on how to vote (and how to get a free t-shirt!), or sign directly into Route Y to cast your vote!

What Does BYUSA Do?

BYU/SA. Most students at BYU are probably familiar with the name because of the colorful banners posted prominently across campus and appreciate the occasional hot chocolate given out on cold, wintry days. However, BYU/SA is much more than that. With more than 1500 volunteers, BYU/SA is involved in many aspects of life at BYU. There are six areas that makeup BYU/SA. While the most recognizable areas are likely Clubs and Campus Activities, the other areas are just as important and bring about many wonderful things to the campus.

So what are these areas and what do they all do?

The Student Advisory Council. More commonly known as SAC, more than 40 students meet twice a week on this council. They are basically the link between the students and BYU administration. When students have ideas, thoughts, or concerns, it is the job of SAC to get their voices heard. SAC allows students to offer input through Bright Ideas, either online or in boxes located at different areas across campus. The Bright Ideas website is currently hosting a drawing for several prizes when anyone submits an idea. Anyone is welcome at the meetings which are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-5:30 in room 3290 of the Wilkinson Center. SAC is all about making BYU campus a better place, and everyones input is appreciated!

The Student Honor Society, or SHA. SHA is all about educating the students of BYU on the Honor Code. They host over 200 events throughout campus. The most recognizable part of SHA is the SHA Choir, which is a non-audition choir that is held every Thursday at 11 am. The SHA Choir performs at firesides throughout campus, and anyone is welcome to join. SHA's main goal is to help students to "go forth to serve" as one of the BYU entrance signs proclaims by following the principles behind the Honor Code.

Campus Activities. Perhaps the most well-known part of BYU/SA is the many wonderful and unifying activities that are put on throughout the year. They put on hundreds of activities a year. From Fall Fest and True Blue Football to the recent Y-Ball for marriage and engaged couples, there are activities that are sure to satisfy just about anyone. There are activities for married students, freshman, and students that are off-campus. There is always need for volunteers in putting on these activities. A lot of time and effort is put into planning all of these events, and are meant to unite the students at BYU and provide fun activities that anyone can attend!

Communications. This is the department that is behind all of the advertising, social media such as Twitter and Facebook pages, and the website. There are many areas in which people can volunteer, such as with advertsing, website management and video production. This blog has been set up by the communications department, and is always looking for writers! One of the favorite activities that is headed up by the communications department is Service Squad, where students meet every Wednesday nights at 7:15 in 3400 WSC to participate in random acts of service around campus. The main goal of Communications is to keep students informed of what's going on around campus.

Clubs. Another well known area of BYU/SA is Clubs. There are between 80 and 100 clubs which were formed around a variety of different interests. Some of the popular clubs are Ping Pong, Y Juggle, and the Tall Club. There is sure to be a club that just about anyone could enjoy! Clubs are a great way to get to know people and make friends with those that share similar interests. Don't think there's a club to accomodate your interest? Anyone can start one. For more information on the clubs at BYU and on how to create one, visit the Clubs website here.

Human Resources. Last, but certainly not least, is Human Resources. HR is the department that matches volunteers with places they can serve. They sponsor Involv-a-palooza every year, in hopes of attracting students to service and matching them up with places they can best serve. Talking with the HR department is a great way to find many different types of service around campus. If you are interested in serving with BYU/SA, come on in to the BYU/SA office and talk to someone in the HR department between 8 am and 6 pm during the week.

Hopefully now you are more informed about what goes on at BYU/SA. There's room for everyone to serve, so come on over to room 3400 on the WSC to sign up today!

A calender is available here that provides details on upcoming events, meetings, and other fun BYU/SA happenings! Sign up today, volunteers are always wanted!

Elise and Landon discuss clubs