What do Ed Sheeran, Kenan Thompson, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and the Biltmore all have in common? They are all events brought to Furman University’s campus through the Furman University Student Activity Board, or FUSAB. The group is made up of select students and organizes fun events for the Furman community. With the biggest budget on campus, FUSAB hosts numerous events throughout the year. FUSAB also has a track record for bringing comedians, hypnotists, magicians, up and coming bands, and inspirational speakers.

As FUSAB’s new president, junior Anne Murtha is trying to revamp some of FUSAB’s target goals.

“As president it’s my job to make sure we try new things and don’t get stuck in a rut,” said Murtha.

She is also trying to make the board members more involved and motivated in events.

“Sometimes in the past it has been hard to get people to really care, and I am trying to think of new ways to keep up the morale and really keep them invested in something they are involved in,” Murtha said.

Murtha joined FUSAB with the encouragement of her hall staff when she was a freshman in 2010. Her first big responsibility was to book an inflatable bounce house for the homecoming carnival.

“At that point I still hated to talk to people on the phone, and I was so nervous about making the call and negotiating pricing,” she said.

Murtha took on new positions each year and quickly overcame her initial freshman fears. She was a board member for a semester before becoming a committee chair. In that role she planned about ten events a semester, including some of her favorite acts, like Seth Meyers and Ben Rector.

Murtha became vice president of programming and was in charge of about 25 to 30 events. This January, Murtha took on the role of FUSAB’s president, a more administrative job where she oversaw everything.

Though Murth said she worries about making decisions for the board that “may not be well received,” she understands that ultimately, “it’s my job to make the tough decisions; it is hard to please everyone.”

Murtha said she was excited to take on the high-level position.

“I am most excited to see how our events for the fall semester play out,” she said. “We have come up with some really great new ways to structure our events, and I want to see how it all goes. I think the change could be good for FUSAB, but it’s always a risk.”

Murtha’s leadership in FUSAB has been well-received.

“She is a refreshing president for FUSAB,” said sophomore board member Madison Harbin. “She is organized, works well under pressure and can lead the group in a forceful yet respectful way. Her calm and collected nature is hard to find in FUSABers.”

Sophomore FUSAB publicity representative Kate Kanto added also praised Murtha’s leaderhip.

“This year has been a lot more efficient,” she said. “Anne is so cheerful and never looks overwhelmed at meetings, which is nice to see in our president.”

Murtha has taken many lessons from being a part of FUSAB. It has introduced her to her love of event planning and organizing.

“I do think I have grown a lot as a person as well, with leadership especially, but being on FUSAB has really defined what I want to do as a career,” she said. “Looking back, sometimes I don’t even know why I applied to FUSAB in the first place, but it has honestly shaped my college experience and made me who I am today.”