Hot Times: SPW at a Glance

ek after Spring Party Weekend (SPW) 2005. For some, the organized concerts, barbeques, fundraisers and catered parties that began on Wednesday and lasted until Sunday were rejuvenating. For other, the events were just flat out exhausting.

There were quite a few changes in place for this year. The weekend activities were focused in and around the houses on Broad Street as opposed to hosting main attractions on Whitnall Field, as has been the case in the past.

Student Government Association (SGA) Liaison senior Kaitlin Lacasse explained that there were delays in getting planning for the weekend off the ground.

“Three proposals put forth by the SPW Committee were denied,” she said. “We really had a short amount of time to plan. Usually, plans are in place months in advance.”

Lacasse explained that having various smaller events throughout the weekend allowed for greater student involvement.

“We were able to have about ten to fifteen people in charge of each event,” she said.

Before the start of the weekend, many students expressed disappointment that the set-up of this year’s SPW would be different than in past years. However, it seems that the general consensus was that this weekend was a success.

“Yeah, I think people had a lot of fun,” LaCasse said. “The weather played a big role too. Some people were disappointed not to see a larger band on Whitnall Field, but this was out of our control.”

The weather was one factor working in students’ favor, as temperatures climbed close to 60 degrees, making it one of the most spring-like weekends this semester. Students took advantage of the opportunity to get outside, even if meant getting sunburned.

“The weather really saved the weekend,” senior SGA President Ram Parimi said. “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback. Some students were yearning for the Whitnall experience, but we tried something new. A lot of students said it was even better than past years.”

The official kick-off of SPW began with Gamma Phi Beta’s philanthropic Teeter-totter-athon, lasting from noon on Wednesday to noon on Thursday. The event raised money for the Madison County Camp for Kids. SPW events concluded with a final barbeque sponsored by the Newman Community on Sunday afternoon.

Both Lacasse and Parimi agreed that the Delta Upsilon (DU) catered party on Saturday was the biggest success of the weekend.

“DU was amazing,” Parmini said. “The set up was amazing, and the attendance was phenomenal. It was great to see everyone come together.”

The party featured a variety of bands including the Oddfellows, featuring John Browns Body, the Pat McGee Band and Tortured Souls.

“The music was so diverse,” Parimi said. “Protoculture did a great job organizing it. It was a great afternoon.”