Annual fall fest gets mixed reviews

Superblock residents studying for the LSATs complained about noise from the weekend festival. While this past weekend's "No Place Like Penn" program provided many students with free food and enjoyable activities, it left others wishing they could click their heels three times and rid themselves of the noise of Superblock. Several students in the high rises, many of whom took the Law School Admissions Test the following morning, said the noise from a Friday night concert featuring the alternative band Fathead prevented them from sleeping or studying. In fact, University Police reported Friday night that they received several calls from students complaining about noise from the concert, which ended at approximately 11:30 p.m. But the Social Planning and Events Committee, which sponsored it, only had a permit for the area until 11. "It was kind of a catch-22," said College senior Kelly Gable, who was trying to sleep before taking the LSATs. "I had earplugs, but I couldn't use them because I wouldn't be able to hear my alarm." Gable, a resident of Harrison House, or High Rise South, added that when the concert ran late, her roommates called the Penn Police and asked them to shut it down. SPEC President and College senior Bruce Frey said that since the event ended before midnight, he did not think it was unreasonably late. In addition to the concert, SPEC sponsored Thursday night movies on College Green, at which students viewed the films From Russia With Love and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Frey said the movies were well attended, with the Green nearly filled for the second movie. The weekend also featured a pre-football game brunch, sponsored by the Alumni Society; a bed race in Superblock, sponsored by the Department of Recreation; and a post-game barbeque run by the student-run Residential Advisory Board. In addition, the class boards planned trips for their students to such venues as the King of Prussia Mall, New York City and Philadelphia's Merriam Theater for a performance of the musical Rent. While several of the events had a large turnout, some students who complained about the concert pointed out that too few people attended to even make the event worthwhile. One student living in Hamilton House, or High Rise North, pointed out that many of the recent events held at Superblock this month, from concerts to the BiCultural InterGreek Council's Zeta Day, have been attended by "at most 100 people." The student, who requested anonymity, said it was unfair to inconvenience the majority of the thousands of students living in the high rises for the benefit of a few people. But while several students who attended or walked past the concert said the crowd was rather sparse, Frey disagreed, calling the turnout "successful." Nursing senior Jocelyn Jennings, the co-director of SPEC's Concert Committee, estimated that about 250 people attended the concert overall, although only about 100 were there at the same time. Jennings added that she was unaware people complained about the concert, and had not realized such problems would arise. "I didn't see this as interfering," she said. "We did the same thing in the Quad last year, and there were no problems." Frey added that each April, students taking the Medical College Admissions Test face significant noise problems during Spring Fling but often find alternate places to study or sleep for the weekend. He did acknowledge that in this case, students were probably less prepared for the noise. "I can see their concern, but I don't think it's going to ruin anyone's plans to go to law school," he said. RAB Chairperson Emily Pollack explained that she did not know beforehand that people would have a problem with the concert, which is why RAB allowed SPEC to hold the event in Superblock. "If they had mentioned [concerns beforehand], we would have addressed it," the College junior said. Pollack added that RAB is planning an open town meeting to discuss opinions on how to hold events while causing minimal inconvenience.