Spring Fling cmte. kicks into high gear

The board is in its final planning stages but has yet to sign a band for the Friday night concert. With just two months left before the event the Social Planning and Events Committee is getting out the mini-skirts and pom-poms and preparing for the next Spring Fling -- teeny bopper diva style. Since the announcement of this year's theme, "Fling Me Baby One More Time" -- inspired by teen pop-star Britney Spears' chart topping song -- SPEC has been busily preparing for the much-anticipated event, which will be held from April 14 to April 16. "Our progress is 100 percent better than last year," said College junior Jason Ebert, the Fling planning co-director. But though many decisions have already been made, organizers have not yet decided on the headlining band. SPEC member and Engineering senior Ari Jaffess, who has been coordinating the booking for Fling, would not comment on the progress of negotiations with prospective bands, nor on when a formal announcement would be made. Last year's music festivities were headed by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones as well as other musical acts Run DMC and D-Generation. Wharton senior and SPEC chairman Jon Herrmann said this year the concert will be held on Hill Field "rain or shine" to ensure great acoustics. For the last three years, the concert has been held in the Palestra due to adverse weather conditions. As for the amount of tickets expected to be sold, Herrmann estimated it to be about 6,000, depending on the artist performing. Last year's performance sold 4,200 tickets. Ebert, along with College junior Mike Silverstein and Nursing senior Lisa Malbacho, have been in charge of coordinating Fling by supervising and managing nine subcommittees, comprised of roughly 30 people. According to Malbacho, the planning committee is now in its final stages in deciding a logo for Fling T-shirts -- a popular Fling souvenir -- submitted by students to the office of student life last December. Silverstein, who is also a 34th Street editor, said the souvenir committee has begun to brainstorm possible souvenir ideas for Fling. One possibility being entertained is waterguns, which were souvenirs from Fling three years ago. While SPEC tried to bring them back last year, they were not approved due to the alcohol policy, according to Silverstein. "This year, now that things are more stable, [we] hope to bring them back," Silverstein said. "Fling's all about fun and security." Silverstein added that the planning committee will begin deciding on the local bands who will play in the Quadrangle in mid-March. The security committee has been working on ensuring safety in the Quad by providing an on-sight ambulance for the event. While SPEC members said there will be no major changes to this year's fling compared to previous ones, students can expect what always comes out of fling -- a good time. "Let's have fun -- [Fling's a time to] forget about our squabbles and get along," Silverstein said.

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