Make Springfest Fun for Students

Despite sunny skies, no more than 300 students (to be quite generous) turned out to hear God Street Wine play its $7,500 set on the MAC Quad at this year's Springfest. While the Undergraduate Council members who organized and staffed the event deserve our thanks, Springfest was on the whole yet another disappointment.

Indeed, just this weekend the Council considered transforming its social-and-service-oriented Campus Life committee into an all-volunteer group, whose funding would be fully dependent on the elected members of other committees. Like those Council members who opposed this split, we recognize the value of dances and carnivals that bring together Harvard students of all stripes. But more volunteers and more student involvement may be precisely what is needed to revitalize unsuccessful campus-wide events.

Without debating the complexities of Council reform, we'd like to put forward four ways the Council could improve next year's Springfest:

* Don't spend $7,500 on an unpopular band. It is understandable that the Council may not have the funds to hire a first-rate band given other economic priorities and the College's complete lack of financial support. However, there are innumerable ways that $7,500 could have benefited the student body, from more MAC treadmills to massive Council-sponsored study breaks to increased funding for student groups. If you've got the money for Aerosmith, Beck or A Tribe Called Quest, go for it. If not, let student bands play and spend the money elsewhere like alcohol.

* Be more creative. A Springfest highlighted by sno-cones, bouncy rides and Harvard Dining Services hamburgers just isn't worth repeating year after year. Perhaps Springfest could be moved from the MAC Quad to a more spacious locale such as the real Quad, the Tercentenary Theater, or even the Yard; the festivities could be extended into Saturday evening with nighttime movies or performances, and athletic contests such as tug-of-war could be added for variety. We trust that Council members and volunteers could make Springfest more creative and more fun, if only they put their minds to it.

* Reach out to student groups. The Council might require groups to staff events in exchange for a grant. Or, on the model of ArtsFirst, the Council might set up a second stage for performances by students and student groups. More people would feel personally invested in the event, and, most basically, more people would show up to participate and to see friends perform.

* Improve publicity. It's a perennial problem on the Council, but the lack of postering for Springfest this year seemed to hit a new low. Perhaps the best solution is for the Council to hire a posterer or door-dropper, so that the success of Springfest will not rely on the responsibility of its members.

Harvard should strive to produce an event akin to Brown's Spring Weekend, a four-day affair that takes over the campus and this year featured a block party, carnival booths, jousting match, karaoke, Slip and Slide and performances by Bob Dylan and Bo Diddley, among others. Still, in its current incarnation, Springfest is not worth our time, effort or money. There must be something better.