SPEC tells U. to 'Do the Right Fling' in April

The theme for this year's Spring Fling is meant to promote responsibility. Encouraging a responsible Spring Fling this year, the Social Planning and Events committee has coined the official 1999 theme as "Do the Right Fling." Fling Co-Chairperson and College junior Bryan Grossman announced the theme for this April's version of the annual event at a SPEC meeting last night, where it was received with a combination of cheers and jeers from around 50 SPEC members. "Do the Right Fling" prevailed over a short list of other suggestions which included "Got Fling" and "Fling of the Century." "The three [themes] that we presented to the committee were overwhelmingly the most popular choices," Grossman noted. The theme "Flingadelphia" was rejected too quickly to merit a vote. According to Fling Co-Chairperson Adam Tritt, a Wharton and Engineering senior, "Do the Right Fling" is intended to breed a sense of responsibility among revelers and to promote safety this year. "We're promoting responsible flinging," Tritt said. Spring Fling festivals have historically caused damage to University property, particularly in the Quadrangle. With this year's Spring Fling theme, SPEC is hoping to engender an awareness of safety conditions and respect for the Quad and its inhabitants. "The Quad is where a lot of people live," said Grossman, who serves as a residential advisor in Ware College House. "It's their home and we don't want to go in and destroy it, or we won't be welcomed back." The theme is practically the only aspect of this year's Fling that SPEC has finalized thus far. Details concerning the Fling festivities -- including the selection and booking of a band to play at the traditional Friday night concert on Hill Field -- have not yet been decided. Last year's Fling concert was headlined by acid-jazz saxophonist Maceo Parker, in addition to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, ska-funk-rock mainstay Fishbone and the Five Fingers of Funk, a large ensemble covering aspects of hip hop and funk. Musical acts in previous years included George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars, A Tribe Called Quest, Blues Traveler, the Violent Femmes, Cypress Hill and Maceo Parker. SPEC is sponsoring a contest in order to select this year's Fling logo and T-shirt design. The runner-up will receive $50 in cash, and the artist with the winning design will receive $100, two free Friday night concert tickets and a free T-shirt with his or her design on it. Fling Co-Chairperson and College senior Jean Lee said she was "looking forward to seeing the designs [and] seeing how people submitting drafts [will] interpret the theme." The 27th annual Spring Fling is scheduled for April 16 and 17. Traditionally, the event draws over 10,000 people from the Philadelphia area and beyond. Crowds are lured to campus for two days of concerts, carnival games and vendors and a show expected to feature several major bands.