Colgate’s annual Springfest began on Friday, April 29 with a philanthropic concert on Whitnall Field featuring the Canadian DJ A-Trak, known for his EDM remixes such as the A-trak remix to “Heads Will Roll,” (originally by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and New York City alternative rock band Quarters of Change. The concert — organized by Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, Beta Theta Pi fraternity, Phi Delta Theta fraternity and the Blue Diamond Society — raised money for cancer patients in Ukraine through the American Cancer Society.

The 9:30 p.m. concert took place in three large tents on Whitnall Field — one for a Springfest T-shirt giveaway, another serving barbecue from Ray Brothers sponsored by the Shaw Wellness Center and the third covering the stage for Quarters of Change and A-Trak’s respective sets. Food trucks from Syracuse’s Cafe Jarosz and Byblos Street Grill surrounding the area offered students alternative food choices. 

“I thought it was a good genre to set the tone for the weekend, and I really liked the high energy of A-Trak’s set,” Sophomore William Crounse said. “It was so cool to have a professional DJ playing original songs.”

Junior Chris Boennighausen, one of the event organizers, reflected on how the concert fostered a sense of inclusivity across campus.

“After talking with all of the organizations involved in the concert, it became clear that we all desired an inclusive event that would give students a place to enjoy themselves before the semester comes to a close,” he said.

Sophomore Molly Rynne echoed this sentiment.

“It was really great to see the Colgate community come together for a night in the same space. Everyone involved in different aspects of the campus life showed up to enjoy good music and warm weather,” Rynne said.

Knowing that Saturday’s concerts featured American rap artist T-Pain and singer Bryce Vine, the organizations decided to balance the music scene with A-Trak’s energetic EDM music and Quarter of Change’s alternative indie rock.

“We were fortunate that members of Phi Delta Theta shared close ties to our opener, Quarters of Change. Thanks to the efforts of Phi Delta Theta, the band graciously gave their time and effort to come to Hamilton. Our headliner for the night, A-Trak, was chosen based on our desire to have a well-established EDM artist at our event,” Boennighausen said.

President of the Blue Diamond Society, sophomore Alex Rosenberg commented on the sense of community the event fostered.

“I’m glad we were able to bring back the feeling of a big community event to Colgate while raising money for Ukrainian cancer patients. It was a great time and I can’t wait for what the future has in store for future post-Covid events on campus,” he said.

The total amount earned for the American Cancer Society benefiting cancer patients and doctors in the midst of strife in Ukraine is still unknown; however, the event can be deemed a success based on its popular turnout ranging across the entire student body, from first-years to seniors, coming together to celebrate the conclusion of the semester.