University Program Board: ‘The planner friend’
Photo by Emily Paris, Photo Editor
From $5 Angels games and a Role Model concert to charm bracelet making and Drag Bingo, Chapman’s University Program Board (UPB) organizes fun and accessible events on and off-campus for students.
UPB offers free or inexpensive entry to events that would otherwise likely be inaccessible to students because of cost or transportation barriers. Recently, the program board organized a trip to Disneyland with tickets at a reduced price of $65. In October 2024, they brought in pop artist Role Model for a concert, charging only $10 for tickets.
UPB receives funding from the university through the student activity fee included in tuition. Only three other organizations are similarly financed: Student Government Association, Chapman Radio and The Panther Newspaper.
“The main purpose (of UPB) is bringing people together and making our college experience just a little bit better,” said Ripley Anderson, the current UPB chair and a junior public relations and entertainment marketing major.
The program board achieves this through three event divisions: on-campus, off-campus and special events and traditions. The latter division coordinates expensive large-scale events like Drag Bingo, Fall Concert and Fall Comedian.
“In college, there’s not a lot of time to plan extravagant trips. So I feel like a lot of people see UPB as the ‘planner friend’ of the group — a friend who can help you coordinate, where to meet, where to go, who’s driving. But cover all that for you. So you just show up and enjoy,” said junior psychology major Elyse Tran, the off-campus events director.
UPB strives to organize accessible events that are exciting to a variety of groups on campus. According to Anderson, a current goal of the organization is to diversify events. In the 2024-25 school year, they focused on hosting more sporting events.
But UPB is also broadening the scope of their impact by giving back to their community. On May 7 and 8, the organization partnered with Orange County Rescue Mission to host a clothing, food and hygiene product donation drive.
“We have such a strong, wide voice that reaches so many people and we want to put that to use as much as possible,” Anderson told The Panther. “So I think that could be an interesting direction for UPB to go more into. We have a huge influence and it's something to be careful of, but (it’s also something to) explore and see what positive impacts we could do with it.”
Anderson has also spearheaded internal growth within UPB, organizing professional development opportunities for members.
“I've brought in a speaker from Disney (and) we've been starting to have alumni panels… just to keep our members engaged and growing throughout this, not just personally and interpersonally, but also professionally,” Anderson said. “That’s been a huge thing for me.”
In addition to these professional development opportunities, organizing major UPB events is also an opportunity for professional experience. For example, hosting the Role Model concert involved working with the artist’s agency, United Talent Agency.
“I had to get assets of all the creative deliverables that we were creating approved by his agent. It was a very professional experience regarding music specifically. I never would have had this opportunity at all if it wasn't for UPB and being able to do the marketing for that event,” said Emma Han, the organization’s marketing director and a junior business administration and public relations and entertainment marketing double major.
In addition to valuable experience, UPB has also championed personal growth in its members. Recalling their growth over their college years, Anderson and Tran attributed their increased confidence and self-improvement to being a part of the program board.
“When I first came to Chapman, I was, like, the most introverted person ever. I could not speak to strangers. I could not market myself. I feel like I was almost an entirely different person. And I've changed for the better professionally and socially,” Tran said. “I feel like I've really broken out of my shell and I just really appreciate UPB…for letting me be able to do that.”
UPB is formative and memorable for members, but it also strives to leave a mark on the community and the college experience of Chapman students.
“The reason that we invest so much time and effort into these events is to create this environment where people across different majors, different colleges can all come together for an event, for a craft or for an experience,” Anderson said. “That's the main purpose: bringing people together and making our college experience just a little bit better.”
To keep on top of all UPB events, follow the organization’s Instagram page.