Committees

Christmas on Campus is composed of a student committee who works almost year-round to make the magic a reality. The core COC group consists of 28 students who lead 8 committees to plan all aspects of the celebration. Applications are accepted in the spring (February) each year.

School Outreach Committee
The Co-Chairs of the School Outreach Committee match approximately 1200 children from Dayton area schools with UD students for the night of COC. They work with 21 Dayton area schools, coordinate activities with school contacts, and distribute and collect permission slips from participating children. To match these children with UD students, the School Outreach committee finds volunteers to work tables in various food courts. All the information is then entered into a database. School Outreach co-chairs must also handle problems such as concerned parents, late permission slips, and lost children on the evening of COC. Experience or involvement in Dayton City Schools is helpful but not a requirement. Experience or involvement in Dayton City Schools is helpful but not a requirement.

Entertainment Committee
The Co-Chairs of the Entertainment Committee coordinate on-campus and professional entertainment, as well as the Carnival held in the RecPlex. On-campus entertainment consists of student groups who sponsor rooms in KU and students who dress in costume on the night of COC. Professional acts in the past have included musicians, storytellers, show choirs, dance companies, zoos, and reindeer. The Carnival requires soliciting student organizations to staff each activity table in the RecPlex. Co-Chairs coordinate the rental of games and assist student organizations in collecting prizes to award to children on the evening of COC. The ability to think quickly on one’s feet is necessary, particularly on the evening of COC.

Community Outreach Committee
The Co-Chairs of the Community Outreach Committee coordinate many aspects of COC related to service and social activities within campus and the surrounding Dayton community. Their tasks include: organizing the annual Frosty Festival, the Hat & Mitten Drive, and other fundraising activities. Event planning experience is helpful, particularly when planning the Frosty Festival. Co-Chairs are also responsible for organizing the candlelight procession on the night of COC.

Decorations Committee (Indoor and Outdoor)
The Co-Chairs coordinate the opening ceremonies of COC and all indoor/outdoor decorations. The opening ceremonies are held in Humanities Plaza and consist of a live Nativity scene, the lighting of a 40-foot Christmas tree, and Santa’s Entrance. Indoor decorations consist of the interior of Kennedy Union and the Humanities Center. Co-Chairs select one ~40-foot Christmas tree from a donor in the Dayton area and coordinate the transportation of the tree to campus. Outdoor decorations also consist of lights, luminaries, large wreaths, and ice sculptures. Creativity, innovation, the ability to manage a large committee of volunteers is necessary.

Public Relations Committee
The Co-Chairs of the Publicity committee plan the two campus-wide General Meetings, Kickoff Day (held 30 days prior to COC) and Up the Orgs. Also, Co-Chairs design the official COC Program and help the coordinators maintain the COC website. Office hours are utilized to prepare flyers, letters, and other documents to publicize COC. Additionally, these co-chairs coordinate the annual House Decorating Contest in the Student Neighborhood and worker with publicity needs of the other committees.

Hospitality Committee
The Hospitality Co-Chairs are responsible for designing and ordering the official Christmas on Campus t-shirt. They also receive all monetary and cookie donations for COC. Hospitality Co-Chairs coordinate the refreshments for the bus drivers and other volunteers on the evening of COC. They invite members of the Dayton community and UD alumni to COC and send thank you letters to the many individuals and organizations that make COC possible.

Transportation Committee
The Co-Chairs of the Transportation Committee work with the Dayton Public Schools and the School Outreach Committee to provide transportation for the Dayton Public School children to get to and from UD for COC. They also plan all traffic flow in C-Lot and on KU plaza. Transportation Co-Chairs work closely with Public Safety, ROTC, and volunteer bus proctors.

Finance Committee
This two-person committee handles all financial transactions with the purchasing card. Responsible for documenting and filing receipts, handling budgets, overseeing all donations and money raised by events. Working hand in hand with administrators and is ultimately responsible for all monetary transactions for the Christmas on Campus Committee. Finance, accounting, or business majors are highly preferred.