By John Hulstine
Danie Adams is the new director of the Campus Activities Board at AU. She is filling a position previously held by Trent Palmer, whom she greatly respects.
“I met Trent through becoming the new director of CAB,” she said. “He’s been essential to helping me learn the role of director.”
The CAB office is vital in planning and organizing a wide variety of recreational events for college students to enjoy throughout the year. These events encourage the student body at AU to make social connections with other students in fun, recreational ways.
This past Labor Day weekend, CAB organized Disco, Dancing and Donuts, as well a volleyball tournament. Later in October, CAB will assist with the creation of the “Haunted Haus.”
Adams comes from the city of Altamonte, Florida. She came to Indiana to pursue her interest in receiving a Christian education. She was attracted to the state for the wide selection of Christian colleges and universities located here.
Adams received her undergraduate degree from Taylor University and studied for her graduate work at Indiana Wesleyan University.
“My undergrad was in general studies with a concentration in social work, and my master’s is in student development counseling,” Adams said.
In her free time, Adams enjoys a variety of recreational activities.
“I got a dog recently, so a lot of the time I’ve had off, I’ve been training my dog, and we like going for walks,” she said. “Also, I like going to the movies.”
She became interested in the CAB Director position after working as a resident director at Indiana Wesleyan University.
“I just decided I wanted to do something different, something that was not an overnight job,” Adams explained. “When you work as a resident director, there is a lot of 24/7 work, and that can become tiring after a while. I saw this position and I went for it.”
Adams has enjoyed the community so far and looks forward to getting better acquainted with students and staff this year.
“The students are really amazing from what I can tell so far,” she said. “I know I’ve only been working for a month and a half, but they’ve been really welcoming and have been good at attending events on and off campus.”
Part of CAB’s mission is making new and current students feel welcome.
“I hope they find an event, or a group of friends through these events, that they really enjoy and feel like their interests are being cared for,” Adams said.
Adams also hopes that CAB activities will provide students with an opportunity to communicate with one another and grow spiritually.
“I think it’s important to know where Christ is in event planning,” Adams explained. “We are called to create community, and that community is created through events.”
CAB’s schedule and interaction with campus social clubs present their own challenges for Adams.
“Time management is something I have to be concerned with a lot. There are many hats you have to put on to play this role,” Adams explained. “There are numerous interactions between my staff and all the different social clubs, and I want to support them all equally.”
Besides changes in leadership this year, CAB has gained the staff position of social club coordinator.
Adams does not foresee any new challenges in incorporating the role of social club coordinator into CAB.
“Social clubs are something very interesting to me because a lot of Christian universities don’t have social clubs,” Adams said. “I think it’s wonderful that AU has social clubs, because they help in forming community.”
Regardless of the time required to organize events for CAB, Adams enjoys her new position.
“I like working with the students on events. It seems like a fun job, and it is a fun job,” she said. “You’re in charge of fun activities and getting students to do humorous things, all the while making friendships.”