Last Friday, April 15 hundreds of Colgate students gathered on Whitnall Field to celebrate the end of the school week and the beginning of Spring Party Weekend (SPW). The event began at 5 p.m. as students rushed to the field to get their classy and politically relevant SPW t-shirts. This year featured red white and blue options with “Spring Party Weekend 2016” on the front of the t-shirt. The event also gave students a chance to get outside after a tough week of classes.

“It was very nice to be outside and enjoy the weather with my friends. The food wasn’t amazing but the music was a nice background to the gorgeous weather and good company” first-year Jas Schult said.

The event featured classic outdoor barbeque food like hamburgers, hotdogs and pulled pork. The air was a little smokey since the barbeque grill masters had to try to keep pace with the droves of students, but the wind cleared it with time. 

The Giants of Science played for the event. The setlist featured funky tunes and time-honored hits. The band jammed out to Men at Work’s, “Down Under,” and seamlessly segued to “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison and “Santeria” by Sublime.

Students gathered into circles on the grass, enjoying the sun and music with their peers. There were too many gnats and birkenstocks to count and students from all years were in attendance. 

Students seemed to agree about the best parts of the event. 

“It’s chill. The music is good and so is the food,” junior Ben Harris said. 

“Free food and good music,” senior Ranissa Adityavarman said.

Even students who didn’t enjoy the Giants of Science still had some positive things to say.

“At least it’s not snowing,” sophomore Ali Hogue said.

Most students didn’t stay the whole time, but the atmosphere of the open field allowed students to make whatever they wanted out of the event. Some chose to play frisbee while others took naps. 

The Giants of Science continued to rock the stage with more hits like, “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and “Chumbawamba” by Tubthumping. Students with plastic bags ran around the field recycling bottles from students who were staying hydrated in the hot weather. There were also remarkably few pieces of litter on the ground given the wind and amount of people there. 

“I’m really proud of the amount of trash cans here. It makes the campus better. Sometimes there are never trash cans around,” first-year Skye Nieves said. 

Colgate has been known for the lack of waste receptacles outside on campus. While trash cans do distract from the beauty of the campus, litter does the same thing and is harder for custodians to pick up. 

The kickoff was the first of a series of Colgate hosted events for SPW, like a similar picnic catered by Quacks on Saturday, April 16, and a Time-warp dance party. The SPW kickoff continues to be a fun and inclusive Colgate event that allows students to spend time outside and meet new people.