Rebecca Higgins arrived on campus with the philosophy of “saying yes,” believing it would lead her to new experiences.
Midway into her spring semester, she signed up for a trip to Haliburton Forest with the opportunity of meeting 20 strangers in the Canadian wilderness. It was a “grounding” experience, with a chance to disconnect from school and meet new people whom she still keeps in contact with now.
It was all due to the Student Association (SA) programming department.
Higgins, the programming director of the Student Association, says the department provides a space for unconventional experiences “you wouldn’t typically have the chance to do,” both on and off campus.
Weekly events include cooking classes at Niagara Culinary Institute, trips to Buffalo Botanical Gardens, guided painting lessons and kayaking on Lake LaSalle. Events are all paid for by the $109, soon to be $115, mandatory student activity fee and transportation is provided for off-campus events via a contracted fleet of vans.
“All of the events are student-driven and student-led,” said Higgins, a senior accounting and American Sign Language major.
The staff takes individual feedback from students who attended previous events to plan for the future. They also strive to maintain small group sizes.
“If there were 50 of us, you wouldn’t be able to talk and connect with everyone,” says Higgins. “Whereas because it’s only 12 to 20 students, you form connections, and it creates a small community.”
The events did not originally come from SA, however.
Russ Crispell, former director of outdoor pursuits in UB’s Student Life and environmental sciences professor, helped start the kayaking sessions, small hikes and Wilderness First Aid (WFR) training for Outdoor Adventure Club trip leaders and students who would eventually use the training in the field — typically one to three hours from medical attention.
“When Russ retired, there was a gap for outdoor experiential learning that needed to be filled,” said Stephen Hagenbuch, current professional staff advisor to the SA programming staff.
As both Hagenbuch and Mark Sorel, SA's administrative director, continued running pop-ups in Crispell’s vision, the gap widened as SA focused on large-scale events.
“We wanted to provide something for students that would spark some kind of interest and contribute to a person's resume or to a person's ability to be hired for work,” Sorel said.
Since the department’s start, Higgins and Hagenbuch have continued to provide pursuits that enrich student life. As of spring 2026, they are proud to announce their 1000th certified CPR student.
Samantha Bella, a junior biomedical sciences major, splits her time between volunteering for the Wilderness First Aid class and assisting Hagenbuch in delivering CPR lessons on campus.
“The CPR and WFR certifications taught and subsidized by SA have become a cornerstone of my resume and exposed me to a community I choose to stay heavily involved in,” Bella said.
Interested students can go to SA’s UBLinked to find all upcoming events.
The features desk can be reached at features@ubspectrum.com.
