After the cancelation of USI’s annual music festival, SpringFest, campus administrators and students put together an alternative for this year.
“A Spring into Fitness 10K,” scheduled for April 13, will temporarily replace the festival.
“I am working with Ian Savage from (Activities Programming Board) to bring a band or two for that day,” said Marcia Kiessling, associate provost for Student Affairs. “We are working to bring some food booths for that day to support both the run and the bands.”
The idea bloomed from multiple meetings tasked with figuring out the future for the university’s yearly event between Kiessling and student groups such as the Student Government Association (SGA), the 24/7 Committee, and the executive officers of Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils.
The “Spring into Fitness Run” was created to keep a spring event for students to look forward to.
Instead of not having an event at all, the spring run is being held to commemorate past SpringFest events and to carry on the 10-year tradition, she said. The future of SpringFest is still undecided and unclear, she said.
The former SpringFest director, Tim Buecher, announced his retirement in the fall, leaving the event’s future and budget in question.
“Last year, all things happened at once,” Kiessling said. “We never knew about a budget.”
She said there is a committee being formed to push forward future plans for SpringFest and that there still needs to be a structure formed to support the event. After the committee forms, students will be able to take part in decision making concerning future events, but right now, the committee’s work is still up in the air.
“For this proposal, we need staff support first, then student involvement,” Kiessling said.
The proposal is supposed to be presented this month to discuss moving forward with planning SpringFest’s future. Many students have mixed views on this year’s change in events, and SpringFest in general. Public Relations and Advertising Major Melissa Chavez said trying to continue to have concerts in the PAC is “illogical.”
“The music is so pointed in one direction – it’s not diverse,” she said. “It would be nice to hear some hip-hop and R&B.”
Past SpringFests provided carnival rides and local music and gave students a chance to celebrate spring graduation.
“It was probably the best decision somewhere along the line,” said Public Relations Major Elijaih Tiggs when it came to canceling the major event. “Since it’s ran by a committee, they thought, ‘Let’s take some time to restructure this.’”