Students recently learned there will be no large-scale concert for this upcoming Springfest over an email sent on Jan. 18 from GetInvolved. The email instead urged students to plan a concert or other activities with their own student organizations. Many students, upset about the change, expressed their grievances anonymously on social media, with some misled to assume that the Student Government Association (SGA) caused the concert cancellation. As a result, the SGA released a statement through their Instagram page (@colgatesga) on Jan. 19.
“Near the beginning of the semester, members of Leadership were made aware that the SGA would not be the main sponsor of Springfest, and that the effort would instead be spearheaded by the Springfest Committee,” the Instagram post read.
Although this organizing committee could include members of the SGA, the post noted that the two groups are not directly associated. The post assured readers that students’ concerns were being voiced to members of the administration and that the SGA was committed to remaining transparent about its processes.
The SGA also invited students to voice their concerns to its members and members of the Colgate administration during a town hall meeting on Jan. 24 in Persson Hall. While there was limited student turnout at the event, it was just one channel available for students to convey their opinions and combat incorrect information.
According to senior SGA President Jonathan Eaton, one notable difference in this year’s Springfest planning is a change in who plans the events.
“We were notified early in the semester that we were no longer going to be the main sponsor [of Springfest]. In previous years, SGA has been the main sponsor, and you’ve seen it on all of the posters. But this year, they said that it would go back to the Springfest Committee,” Eaton said.
During the past two years, Springfest was held using excess funds that were accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Director of the Office of Student Involvement Dayna Campbell advises the SGA and supervises all professional staff within the Office of Student Involvement (OSI). One responsibility of the OSI is to oversee large-scale events for students, including Springfest.
“Because of COVID-19, spending around student activities did not occur in the same way that it did before,” Campbell explained. “That money that typically would be allocated to different student organizations was put in an account. In the past two years, money from that account as well as the regular Springfest budget and SGA’s support from the Senate has funded Springfest events.”
Campbell noted that this could not remain the standard, since historically the Springfest concert is an expensive endeavor, and previous Springfest funding had to be acquired, as it did not come from a pre-existing account fund. The funding has therefore instead recently shifted to a different process.
“Last year, we went to a more normal process, where the Office of Student Involvement has a certain dollar amount that we can take from the student activity fee to fund Springfest. So there wasn’t really a shift. I think that students may feel as though it was a shift, but really it comes down to a cost issue and that students need to take charge and request the things that they want to see,” Campbell said.
In response to the announcement, first-year Catherine Ripsteen and junior Ben Coddington expressed disappointment over the concert’s cancellation.
“I was really looking forward to the Springfest concert, so it’s definitely a bummer. I heard that it is a community bonding event,” Ripsteen said.
“The administration preaches values like creating a tight-knit community, but then takes away one of the few events that actually succeeds in bringing the student body together,” Coddington said. “It feels hypocritical.”
Even though there won’t be a concert for this year’s celebrations, there will still be many of the same events as in previous years.
“I think that [this Springfest] looks a lot like how it did before,” Campbell said. “We’ve had really successful events last year, from the beginning of the semester all the way through April. So the large events where we have inflatables [and] food, those are the things that have brought hundreds of students out, and those are the things that we’re looking to continue to do.”
Students are also encouraged to take a more active part in planning, whether by approaching the SGA with potential ideas or submitting them to the OSI.
“As with the form that was sent out prior to the most recent email, students should know that you have an opportunity to now collaborate with each other and bring something to campus for that particular weekend,” Campbell said.
For student organizations wanting to submit proposals for an event during Springfest, the application is due by Sunday, Feb. 11.
