SUBOG hosts ‘Mason Jar Sundae’: a sweet way to promote student involvement  | The Daily Campus

I scream, you scream — sometimes, we all scream for ice cream. At the University of Connecticut, ice cream is one of our specialties. On Thursday, Oct. 10, the UConn Student Union Board of Governors (SUBOG) kicked off their fall program of events by giving away sundaes to promote getting involved on-campus.

Students lined up on the Student Union lawn to receive ice cream from the Dairy Bar On Wheels, presented in souvenir mason jars, reminiscent of old-fashioned jelly glasses. Classic flavors were offered, including Husky Tracks, strawberry cheesecake and chocolate brownie fudge. SUBOG student representatives dished out toppings.

“I’m a happy customer,” said Paige O’Keeffe, a fifth-semester elementary education major.

The event serves as a promotion for SUBOG’s upcoming itinerary of events like the annual homecoming, which will be held the week of Sunday Oct. 20. Highlights of the celebration include a campus parade featuring the UConn marching band and student groups, a carnival with fun-fair amusements and food trucks. A performance by comedic musical group Lewberger will also be featured alongside SUBOG’s lip sync battle, a student tradition. The week concludes with the homecoming football game on Saturday Oct. 26 against Rice.

This year’s homecoming theme is “double trouble,” referring to the UConn men’s basketball team’s back-to-back NCAA National Championship wins.

Other SUBOG events include comedy performances, film screenings and “major weekends.” They’re also the organization behind “One Ton Sundae,” a longtime UConn winter tradition; SUBOG often integrates Dairy Bar ice cream into its events.

“It’s really popular with students, and who doesn’t love ice cream? I do,” said Lillian LaFemina, a second-year pre-teaching major volunteering at the event.

SUBOG acts through a number of subcommittees, which plan student events and support initiatives based on their purpose. The comedy and concert planning committees, for example, work to book artists to come to UConn and arrange trips to off-campus performances. The sports committee sponsors excursions to major and minor league games across New England. According to the SUBOG webpage, their fee-supported fund is split between the committees and other initiatives like training, recruitment and staff apparel. 86% of the budget goes to student programs and events, a majority of which are free to attend.

Owing to such a large population of UConn undergraduates, some of SUBOG’s choices have come under fire by some students in the past. However, they encourage students to be part of the planning process, saying on their webpage: “we like to highlight the fact that our group is completely made up by regular undergraduate students like you and me, who are committed to providing the student body with events that will create ever-lasting memories for years to come.”

A student event programming board for the Student Union has existed in one form or fashion since 1952.

For more information about SUBOG and for a schedule of upcoming events, visit subog.uconn.edu.

Note: Lillian LaFemina serves as the Associate Artist Editor at The Daily Campus.