In the previous issue of the Loquitur, the editorial content consisted of accolades for Cabrini and the Campus Activities Programming (CAP) Board especially, for their pride and dedication in an entertaining 2005 Spring Fling. In many ways, the school lived up to its standards and delivered a great day to a vast number of students and visitors alike.
There was one occasion, however, where the Spring Fling festivities could have been handled in a more appropriate manner. To all those responsible for planning the event: there is a not an underlying agenda present in which the Loquitur thrives on complaining and ranting just about the occasions that went wrong. Simply put, potentially dangerous actions transpiring at the Bouncing Souls concert are fueling this assessment.
The primary issue is the Bouncing Souls concert as well as the way money was spent by those in charge of organizing the event. A volatile mixture of a well-known band, a large number of visiting spectators attending the event and bicycle racks substituting for barricades were thrown into a cauldron called the Dixon Center for the 10:30 p.m. Bouncing Soul performance.
For all those unaware of what occurred at the concert, numerous students who attended said that a riot-like incident arose in the Dixon Center due to the large influx of Bouncing Souls’ fans.
The only hindrances stopping the stampede of fans and destructive behavior were a rental security team and a few average-sized bicycle racks. Similar student opinions relayed that the behavior at the concert became harmful, and the event reached a point where it was appropriate to be frightened.
Although it was reported by members of production that preparation for the concert was thorough, the fact that one minor glitch in the event could potentially lead to destruction must be taken into consideration.
Thankfully, there were no reported injuries at the concert. The same cannot be said for the damage inflicted on the Dixon Center. A tally of repairs to the facility will surely add up on the list of expenses.
A solution to an incident such as the Saturday night concert could be for the school to terminate any large venues in the future. This action, however, would be unreasonable and damaging to the student body morale. A reasonable response would be to distribute a larger amount of money to the concert production and security.
Certainly money is a never-ending problem for organizations at this school, but the money could be taken possibly from the less popular events of Spring Fling. Rather than distribute money to activities such as skee-ball, the moon bounce and other kiddie-games, would it be feasible to eliminate those games and use the remaining money for whichever artists appear at the school in the future?
Putting all these details aside, booking a popular band like the Bouncing Souls was definitely a step in the right direction for the development of Spring Fling and student support. It was an awesome feat by the CAP board to bring a band of national recognition to our small campus. There is no doubt that well-known bands and famous showcases are greatly enjoyed by Cabrini students. One could simply view Saturday night of Spring Fling as a learning experience.
In addition, students should trust that Cabrini’s CAP board is not deterred by this incident and continues to search for popular bands to appear at the school in future events.
Posted to the web by Shawn Rice
