Eye of the Editors: Activities Director

ACTIVITIES DIRECTOR: As Janna Van Horn takes over, students question USB policies.

The arrival of a new activities director may breathe new life into USB. Goodbye Mrs. Grunseth. Hello Mrs. Van Horn. This change in directors calls for new changes for the governing student group.

Too often in recent years, students, USB members included, have been left befuddled in the way USB runs things.

Students pile in the gym, loud music plays, the lights are dim and fancy decorations are displayed, all in the name of promoting the spirit of the student body? The rallies organized by USB, though a valiant effort, fail on too many levels that many students in all grades sometimes question whether we should even have rallies. USB succeeds in making the gym look absolutely stunning on rally days, but then a fool and his money are soon parted. Money doesn’t buy success in this case. In fact, decorations aren’t even needed to have a spirited rally. USB needs to cut the money and focus more on the rally itself. In the time and money it spends for decorating the gym, USB needs to repair the colorless skits and technology issues.

It becomes evident that changes are needed once you experience the superficially attractive rallies.

Lunchtime begins and USB is setting up its activities— why? Once again, the motive here for these events seems to be revolved around the central purpose to promote student spirit. But it doesn’t, at all. Take a break or work on something else, because these lunchtime activities are fruitless. Half the time, it’s only USB members tossing water balloons and running around like chickens without a head. Where are the students? Where is the needed interaction with the students to generate a successful lunchtime activity? These activities are so useless that there is no solution other than to just cancel it. Although, the food fairs are a success during lunchtime.

Let’s take a step back and try to understand what exactly USB is. It’s called “The United Student Body” but really, where is the unity? Find any student in this school and ask away if he or she feels a sense of togetherness. All the hours and days USB spends are for no cause if students fail to feel even the tiniest bit of spirit, which is the currently the case.

Cut the rally decorations and the unnecessary Rodeo Round Up, and use that money for more school dances. There’s not a better way to promote student spirit than a dance. With just a slight effort and a little bit of thinking, USB can easily eliminate the activities no one cares for and use that money to start a Winter Formal or a Sadie Hawkins in DBHS for once.

The first step in fixing a problem is realizing that there is one, and for too long, USB has failed to do so. As the new activities director takes charge, it is the perfect time to implement changes so that the students of Diamond Bar can experience the spirit USB tries to deliver.