Black Hills State University’s University Programming Team — also known as the UP Team, held numerous activities on campus this year including community service projects, concerts, speakers and other activities for students to enjoy.

The UP Team is funded by the General Activity Fees, which allows for events to be free of charge. This semester they used those dollars to host more than 30 events on campus in order to engage the student body and generate a strong campus community.

“We are very pleased with how this year turned out,” said Jessie Gramm, the president of the UP Team. “We were excited to receive outstanding student organization.”

Each year student organizations are nominated for the award for their successes in membership, attendance, social and educational activities, campus contributions, fundraising, and community service. The winning organization is announced at the Annual Student Volunteer Awards, which were held Monday, April 14.

According to Gramm the UP Team will conduct at student poll to determine how to better serve the students, and what type of events the students respond to most. Attendance at the UP Team events ranges from 50 to 350 people depending on the type of event.
“The majority of their events are very well attended by students,” said Erica Whitiker, BHSU student engagement and programming coordinator. “The students always seem to have a great time, and will always ask when the next event is.”

Among their most successful events of the year was the “Dancing With The Staff” fundraiser the Up team held in February, which incorporated participation of both students and staff.

The UP Team’s year will soon come to a close with their final event for the year, a concert by musician Eric Stepanian on April 26 in Club buzz located at the bottom of the David B. Miller Yellow Jacket Student Union.

Gramm is looking forward to the future of the UP Team. “We will strive to uphold and make the group even better for next year,” Gramm said.