News
By Andy Mullan
|
April 14, 2006
While Springfest, the University's annual outdoor festival, will be held this Saturday, UPC has initiated several efforts to address concerns that the Easter holiday weekend will lower student turnout.
A wide variety of events and games have been scheduled for students to participate in free of charge and has generated a good deal of excitement among the student body, said Jenn Root, University Programs Council special programs chair.
There has been general concern that attendance at this year's event will be hindered due to the fact that Springfest falls on the day before Easter Sunday and many students leave town for the holiday.
The scheduling of the event was limited to this weekend because of regular events that take place at the Snyder Tennis Center, which would be disturbed by Springfest if they coincided, said PK German Chair Amir Khoddami.
Nameless Field became the venue for Springfest this year since the traditional site, Madison Bowl, is unavailable due to construction.
UPC is employing strategies to combat predicted low attendance.
UPC is bringing Brand New and other bands that will get a lot of students excited, Khoddami said.
"This is Brand New's first time performing since their last album came out over a year ago," he said.
Because the band has such a "cult following," there is the hope that people will stay to hear them play, Khoddami added.
"The event is not on Easter Sunday, so students can still leave, but hopefully they will leave after the bands," he said.
Other events have already suffered a loss in registered participants due to the inconvenient date.
The Vermonster ice cream eating contest has suffered about a 60 percent loss in pre-registration, Vermonster Coordinator Florence Davis said.
"Last year we raised $3,000 for the Virginia Institute for Autism, and this year we will be lucky to raise $1,500," Davis said.
In order to drum up last-minute participants, there will be on-site registration for those that are still interested, Davis said.
In the end, Root expressed hope that Nameless Field may end up helping to increase turnout at Springfest.
The location is more central for students that live in first-year dormitories and is at an important traffic intersection, which may end up drawing more crowds, Root said.
