Trinity’s Student Programming Board (SPB) aims to bring fun and accessible events to the Trinity community. This semester features three distinct events: Chocolate Fest, De-Stress Fest and 1902 Night. This is a different approach than past years of SPB efforts which have focused on various smaller occasions rather than one or two large events.

This change could be the result of various shifts within the organization itself, as the board was restructured last year. In its restructured state, SPB is composed of Trinity students who take on the roles of two co-directors, four event-planning chairs and various students working as associates underneath them.

The work of SPB is broken up into three branches of work: Trips & Entertainment, Tiger Pride and Special Events & Traditions. All of SPB’s moving parts worked together to plan the three events for the spring semester.

The first of these is Chocolate Fest, organized by the Tiger Pride sector. Taking place at Murchison Tower on Feb. 24 from 2 to 4 p.m., Chocolate Fest involves an array of registered student organizations (RSOs) contributing. Each participating RSO is invited to share their chocolate creations with the Trinity community and a panel of judges.

At the end of the celebration, four organizations with the most positive judge feedback will be rewarded with a total award fund of 036;1,000 for their student work accounts.

Mindy Tran Champion, advisor to SPB, supported the proper return of the event following its derailment due to COVID. After her own experiences with the event as a Trinity alum, she was excited to see the tradition continue this spring.

“It’s … a free event for students to come and get free chocolate from organizations. The last time they had it, to my understanding, they had to do more of a vendor situation,” Champion said. “The tradition is to have organizations come and participate and give out chocolate, so this year, that’s what they’re doing as well. We’re trying to bring it back as a tradition.”

The budget that would have gone to the concert was then divided up into two events, with the first being the De-Stress Fest on March 8. Given Trinity’s academic rigor, SPB aims to remind students to prioritize their mental health. Chloe Scroggins, senior business and analytics technology major and co-director of SPB, is enthusiastic about the message behind the activities SPB is putting on to care for the students on campus.

“The whole point of De-Stress Fest is helping all of the students’ distress during midterms,” Scroggins said. “It’s either during their midterms or right before or after their midterms, so we’re going to collab with Wellness Services and provide some care kits. There’s going to be a petting zoo, really putting the de-stress component onto campus.”

1902 night is the final large-scale event planned by SPB for this semester. On April 15, the organization will provide transportation to and from San Antonio’s 1902 Nightclub celebrating the final weeks of the 2023 spring semester. SPB will keep a close eye on this new event, looking at the potential for a new tradition if the reception is positive.

With the money left over from these three events, SPB looks forward to uplifting the smaller events of RSOs. In an effort to provide events for the entire campus, SPB hopes to champion as many activities as possible that are open to the entire student body. They have a Google Form available for all groups interested in their assistance, readily available for providing feedback and support for this semester.

Ty Kostopoulos, senior biochemistry and molecular biology major and co-director of SPB, wants students to feel welcome to reach out with their ideas and potential event plans for the community, whether it be from the RSO or from the students themselves.

“While we do have certain events that we try to throw every single year, like our traditional events, we are always open to new ideas,” Kostopoulos said. “A new perspective, a lot of the time, means something really cool. I just want people to feel that they can reach out to us whether they want to collab with us or if they have an idea that they’re really passionate about.”