Opinion
Future FebFest needs expanded programming
By Patrick English ’15
February 20, 2015
Bringing comedy, male fashion and fine foods to campus, FebFest is often one of the more celebrated weeks of the year. The Social Traditions Committee, Student Assembly and the Campus Activities Board work hard to put together FebFest every year, but there is always room for improvement.
FebFest often follows the same formula. A comedy show, cheese, chocolate and beer tastings, Mr. Hamilton and the Emerson Literary Society’s Rocky Horror party as the highlights and staples of the week. While events like these definitely work in bringing out students and providing entertainment and food, they are usually similar every year, and could use some new additions to motivate juniors and seniors to attend. For example, Mr. Hamilton could add a new part to its pageant, or work with its contestants to think of creative ideas for them to perform. The event was oversaturated with movie references this year, and did not have the same creativity as last year’s memorable events, such as one contestant cleaning a table and another acting out his inner spirit of a wolf. Trivia Night could add special Hamilton or winter categories and prizes to make it different from how the hosts usually organize it every week.
New activities this year such as snowshoeing, an ice-skating show and a snoccer tournament brought flair to the FebFest slate, but they were not as well advertised and suffered lower attendance than the marquee events. However, we must recognize that student organizations are thinking, and proof of this are the new events. This movement of ideas is probably the most important thing to make FebFest better. Student Assembly should encourage every student organization to host or co-host an event during FebFest, because it expands their visibility to the rest of the campus community. It is also easier to get students to attend events when their interest is already piqued by so many events on the FebFest schedule.
Another possible improvement to FebFest could be the addition of a higher profile concert, or perhaps the movement of CAB’s Spring Concert to February. While the logistics of this movement are probably beyond my understanding, the Spring Concert date seems rather close to Class and Charter Day concert, and would probably raise our spirits more if it was held in February. While Acoustic Coffeehouse performers Phosphorescent and Justin Trawick are talented, and their music is definitely appreciated, name recognition alone can get students excited about a performer, raise their spirits and have more students attend.
Overall, I believe FebFest was a success. The students who came out enjoyed almost all of the activities available. However, a few tweaks and new additions could make the week even better.