EDITORIAL: "Safeguarding Fling"

But while blue skies, 70-degree weather and Mask and Wig all contribute to an ideal Fling, the events' security procedures marred the weekend's carefree atmosphere. The University banned an array of harmless items from both the Quadrangle and Hill Field. Spring Fling security officers told one student she could not bring a backpack and a salad into Saturday's concert, even though they checked both items thoroughly. Signs outside the Quad asked students to leave behind their cameras, which posed unimaginable threats to those inside. The University enforced its alcohol regulations haphazardly. Residential advisors' "policies" regarding underage drinking varied from floor to floor in the Quad. At the Quad gates, guards would search backpacks of some students and wave other backpackers through moments later. Finally, although all concerts pose safety dangers, the crowd at Hill Field could easily have thwarted efforts to reach students in need of medical attention. Could ambulances have reached someone passed out within the crowd from heat, exhaustion or overdose? Or someone crushed against the stage, particularly after the moat was trampled? Spring Fling organizers should be commended for the variety and quality of the three days of events they planned. However, Spring Fling's security system is due for some spring cleaning of its own.