Spring Fling at Cabrini College was a day that the students would get together and have a day of relaxation and fun. As of this year though, Spring Fling is no more.
Every April, there was the expectation of outside entertainment, a barbecue and activities to celebrate the end of the year as well as welcoming spring. This year the campus activities and programming board, the committee that plans the event every year, decided that it was time to end this yearly tradition of Spring Fling.
Anne Fillipone, the director of student activities, said, “Student activities felt that there was a great deal of money being spent on this weekend and very few students showed up to the actual event. It seemed logical to spread the funds across more programs throughout the year.”
Other than the concerts and games outside behind the mansion, there was also a larger concert with a headlining band as well as a midnight breakfast in the dining hall.
“The attendance at the afternoon events was never strong and my understanding is that the group felt their budget could be better spent on events and activities that might garner more student participation and attendance,” Dr. Christine Lysionek, the vice president for student development, said.
Fillipone said, “The turnout for our event did not warrant us continuing it, so there are no plans to continue [Spring Fling] this year or in future years.”
When asked about the cancellation of Spring Fling, CAP board had no comment in regards to this article.
During Spring Fling 2006, Kyle Foley, Cabrini Alum ’06, was stabbed in House 6 by Keith Singleton. Since this night, Public Safety has been posted on the Upper Gulph Road and there has been a higher sense of security in the residence halls.
Many think that the stabbing is the reason that Spring Fling has been cancelled this year.
“I don’t think it would be a big deal if they did say it was because of the stabbing. I think people would understand,” Katie Lowther, a senior biology pre-med major, said.
“There aren’t many things that are planned on the weekends and I think by taking away Spring Fling, the campus is losing out on the weekend activities,” Katie Boss, a freshman Spanish major, said. “[Freshmen] weren’t even here last year to witness [the stabbing] and it is like we are getting punished for it.”
“I don’t think it’s that big of a deal [that Spring Fling was cancelled] because they are still having a spring concert which is more interesting to me,” Allison Superneau, a senior Spanish and biology pre-med major, said.
“Some students seem to associate Spring Fling with the alcohol consumption that went on separate from anything that the CAP Board programmed. That behavior was something that students did on their own and had nothing to do with the actual event that was programmed as Spring Fling,” Lysionek said.
“Campus policies will be and are in force whether or not students and their guests engage in any activities, regardless of the weekend or the day of the week,” Stephen Lightcap, the vice president for finance and administration, said. There is no public safety scheduled specifically in the case of a large amount of students partaking in a day of alcohol consumption and partying.
To replace the Spring Fling events, CAP Board is sponsoring a spring concert featuring the band Emerson Drive. The band will be playing in the Dixon Center on Friday, April 20. Unlike the previous concerts affiliated with Spring Fling, tickets are free of charge.
Superneau said, “If CAP Board was going to save money by not having a Spring Fling this year they should have used the money towards a bigger band and concert other than events spread throughout the year. They should have done something bigger for the spring concert.”
