Jurassic 5 will be the featured artist for Spring Party Weekend (SPW), after the Student Government Association approved the measure at Tuesday’s meeting. Earlier this week, a survey was posted on the Student Government section of the Colgate website that polled the student body’s choice for live music for Spring Party Weekend. Among the choices listed were Jurassic 5 and Robert Randolph & the Family Band. Twenty five percent of Colgate students participated in the survey, with the majority of the students choosing Jurassic 5. A subsequent survey was also taken last semester, in which a majority of Colgate students reported wanting to see more hip-hop at the annual concert. WRCU, Colgate’s student-run radio station, is sponsoring the Jurassic 5 concert and brought the proposal before Budget Allocations Committee (BAC) this week. The Jurassic 5 concert, including the fees for the band, 1,500-person tent, stage and stage crew, will cost approximately $46,500. Because the event costs more than $20,000, the Senate is required to approve the BAC’s decision. Despite the majority vote for Jurassic 5, many senators reported complaints coming from constituents about the musical choices. Some students felt that the choices of SPW bands were not diverse enough. “I do not feel as if the entire student body is represented in this artist because only one-quarter of the student body voted [on the online survey],” Senator-At-Large junior Rodney Mason said. “[I think] the sample should have been bigger.” One senator stated that it would be difficult to please all students’ musical taste because of the variety of musical interest on campus. Senators discussed whether the entire student body’s musical taste could even be satisfied in a single concert. When choosing possible artists, the SPW committee ran into problems with availability of artists. Due to the lack of time before the event, the artists available to play at SPW were limited. Other artists considered were Gavin DeGraw, Mario and the All-American Rejects. First-year Robert Sobelman, the Senator for ‘Gate House, supported the decision to bring hip-hop music to SPW. “Last year there was reggae music for Spring Party Weekend,” Sobelman said. “I think that we should bring something different to SPW so that over a student’s four years, there will be a variety of music [at SPW]. Hopefully, there will be one or two Spring Party Weekends where you really connect with the music.” In addition to Jurassic 5, WRCU is planning on bringing a variety of smaller bands to campus. These bands will meet the other musical tastes that are represented by WRCU listeners, including Indie, world and jazz music. After much discussion, the Senate passed the proposal.

The Senate also unanimously passed a proposal to send a letter to the student body and faculty addressing Assistant Professor of Economics Marc Ivan Tomljanovich being denied tenure. The letter is a response to student complaints about the lack of student involvement in the tenure process. Several senators and executive board members shared the experiences they had with Tomljanovich and the impact that he has had on the student body. Even those who have not met or been taught by Tomljanovich commented on his celebrated reputation. Senators clarified that a professor becoming tenured depends on scholarship, teaching and involvement, not solely on teaching. However, the main problem that students were faced with was the lack of student involvement in the decision. Sobelman hopes that the outcome will incite the faculty and staff to “reconsider the decision and allow students to be part of the tenure process.” Mason agreed. “I hope that the administration will take the student voice into account when they make decisions that affect us,” he said.