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HIP attends Atlanta convention

By Jacki Padgett
[email protected]
Staff Writer

HIP members (from left) Nikkie Estes, Tasha Wells, Candice Peugh and Ahna Dillard enjoy the APCA convention. On March 1-5 the Highlands Interactive Productions (HIP) group of GHC attended the National Association of the Promotion of Campus Activities (APCA) conference. APCA is a programming conference held in Atlanta each year.

John Spranza, director of student life, and Heath Rogers, co-director, took students Jacki Padgett, Candice Peugh, Nikkie Estes, Danielle White, Ahna Dillard, Tasha Wells and Tarius Anderson to the conference. These students had the chance to see acts and book them for next year�s campus activities.

The students were required to attend three different educational sessions each morning, with a wide range of choices. The students listened to speakers discuss topics such as diversity on campus, promotion of campus events and financial issues. They also attended four different showcases each night with a variety of shows from stand-up comics to slam poets to magicians and several different types of musical acts.

Dillard, a psychology major from Rome, said �APCA was off the chain.�

After each showcase, HIP was able to visit the exhibit halls, where all the acts, their agents and corresponding companies were set up and could talk to the students.

This was one of the major parts of APCA for the students because they got to interact with the acts and talk one-on-one, take pictures and get all kinds of free goodies. Danielle White, a nursing major from Rome, said, �The best part about the exhibit halls was that I got to meet Ruthie, from Real World Hawaii.�

The students got to meet later with Spranza and talk about what they liked, and what performers would like to bring to the college next year.

There were CO-OP (cooperative) buying sessions, which Spranza and Rogers attended once a day to get a group rate by booking an act with other colleges in the same region.

On Thursday and Friday night, the students were rewarded with a midnight dance party provided by APCA. Saturday night featured a coffeehouse type of performance outside the exhibit halls for the students.

Spranza also won the APCA leadership award for his continued service with the association and his involvement with the students on his campus.

According to Spranza, this year was one of the best years and he was glad that the students who attended APCA were so involved. �We were definitely one of the most spirited groups there,� said Spranza.