What was formerly known as the University Programming Board (UPB) is now the Campus Activities Board (CAB) after a decision to merge with another organization on campus.

The CAB is a combination of the University Programming Board and the Multicultural Advisory Board, two organizations who have always played an active role in planning on-campus events for students. When Daphne Carter-McCants, assistant dean of students, noticed the two boards weren’t functioning to their fullest potential on their own, she thought it would be a good idea to combine the organizations.

“FMU has always had events going on all over campus campus, but a lot of students weren’t finding out about them,” said Caroline Shelley, executive chair of the CAB. “This is why our goal this year is to make sure we advertise a lot for everyone to know about our events.”

During the first week of school the CAB hosted their first event, Crescent City Circus. The event was an interactive circus where they expected around 250 students. However, due to their advertising efforts, the event attracted a total of 820 students.

The CAB hosted its first “Grille After Dark” event on Wednesday, Aug. 29, which was themed “painting with a purpose.” According to Carter-McCants, the organization was expecting 70 students, but more than 90 students attended the event.

Shelley said the organization plans to host a “Grille After Dark” one Wednesday out of the month, which would last from 7-9 p.m.

In addition to the “Grille After Dark” event, the CAB also plans to have an event at least once a week for students to attend. All CAB events are free for FMU students.

“The goal is for Francis Marion to always have something to do,” Shelley said. “This will give students a way to de-stress themselves a little from school.”

According to Shelley, the organization has also planned to begin hosting a “Patriot Weekend” series among the many events the CAB has planned for the academic year. “Patriot Weekend” would be a series of events that will take place on a Friday or Saturday meant for commuter students to enjoy a fun Friday event on campus, and for students who live on campus to have something fun to do on a Saturday.

“We don’t want to hear students say there isn’t anything fun going on at our campus,” Shelley said. “Our board is passionate, we love what we do and working toward making Francis Marion better. We have some really exciting things coming this year.”