SPEC seeks to integrate Spring Fling

Reacting to concerns that Spring Fling traditionally attracts few minority students, the Social Planning and Events Committee held a forum Wednesday night to discuss ways of making Spring Fling more diverse. The forum, which was organized by SPEC's Minority Concerns and Spring Fling Committees, was attended by 20 students, a turnout that disappointed both organizers and participants. "Spring Fling didn't really work out last year," College junior and Minority Concerns Committee co-director Joseph Kim said. "We want to get input from minorities to diversify Spring Fling. Traditionally it hasn't been that diverse." The students who attended the forum generally felt that Spring Fling isolates itself from minorities. "Freshman year I was thinking 'Oh, wow, something to add to Penn Relays,' but when it came around I noticed it was mostly a white fling," Wharton junior and co-director of the Minority Concerns Committee Terence Alford said. This year, however, the Spring Fling Committee is determined to change attitudes. By making the activities more diverse, the Committee hopes to break the old trend of black students going to Penn Relays and white students going to Spring Fling. "This year is important because there's a hiatus between Fling and the Relays," Kim said. "This year they're two weeks apart, and minorities won't be in a situation where they have to make a choice. If we can make Fling more attractive to minorities, we can start a new trend." Both Asian and Latino students were poorly represented at the forum, as only one student from each minority group attended. They made proposals on how Fling could be expanded so that both these communities could take on more active roles. "I'd really like to know more from the Asians," College junior Nora Munoz said. "I've seen some Asian groups at Fling but they're always food stuff. There's a lot of different things and cultures within the Asian population. We tend to lump Asians together." There was also a concern that the location of Fling was an additional deterrent to minority groups. Some students felt that the Quad was not the ideal place because unless students lived there or had friends there, they would not have a reason to go there. In addition to this, they remarked that the area was too "enclosed." The Spring Fling Committee acknowledged this, but said that there is no other place on campus where access could be effectively limited to University students only. The organizers promised, however, that they would continue the practice of organizing at least one event outside the Quad. The Spring Fling Committee appealed to those who were present to go back to their organizations and report the issues that were discussed in the forum. They stressed that it is not too late to get involved in the organization of Fling, and the forum wound down with the organizers saying they hoped that future Flings will be more diverse. "We don't want it to be a token gesture." College junior and Spring Fling Committee co-chair Josh Perelman said. "We are very open to any suggestions from any group on campus and we're taking any we can possibly get." "We don't want to accommodate only what the white people want," Wharton senior and Spring Fling Committee co-chair Stacey Kossow said. "We want to accommodate what everybody wants." Anne Todd, College junior and SPEC president, said that the organizers of Fling are committed to making this a Fling for everyone. "Our hope is that these wonderful suggestions will not stop as soon as the forum ends," Todd said in a statement. "We want everyone's input so this will be everyone's Fling." Anyone interested in taking part in the organization of Fling should contact the SPEC office at 898-4444.

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