Flinging in the rain

Spring Fling organizers were prepared for rain or shine, and Penn students got a little bit of both this weekend.

Weather during the annual spring festival fluctuated between sunny and warm to chilly and rainy, but that didn't stop students from "getting their Fling on," as per the theme of this year's event.

This Fling was an especially important one -- organizers said University administrators were looking to see if student behavior improved from past years during a weekend that is notorious for heavy drinking and property damage.

The University Council, an advisory body, held discussions in the fall over the merits of moving Fling out of the Quadrangle to another, safer location.

And, according to Spring Fling co-Director and College senior Jake Chanin, Penn students passed the test.

"Students were being very well behaved," he said. "When the administration looks at this year's Fling, they will be very pleasantly surprised."

Social Planning and Events Committee officers say student alcohol abuse was not as much of a problem as in past years. The complete number of alcohol-related incidents and crimes is not available.

"I felt that it was more contained ... and I didn't see as many people that I felt were out of control as I've seen in previous years," Fling co-Director and College junior Makeda Kefale said.

Friday began with light rain that continued into the early afternoon.

But once it stopped, the Quadrangle "filled up within a half hour. It was as packed as you would expect on any wonderful, beautiful day," Chanin said.

The annual Spring Fling concert also took place Friday evening; rock band Of A Revolution performed to a sold-out crowd at Wynn Commons.

But a chilly day of rain dampened the mood in the Quad on Saturday.

"There were a lot fewer people than we expected in the Quad," Chanin said.

Several activities and performances in the Quad were rained out Saturday. And although SPEC organizers put hay down on Quad fields to prevent visitors from getting too muddy, some students got down and dirty with mud wrestling.

Organizers could not set up the inflatable games, and the stage in Upper Quad was closed because of a leak in the canopy, which could have damaged equipment and made it dangerous to perform on.

This forced all of the performances to the Lower Quad stage after 1 p.m. on Saturday.

"Some of the bands cancelled because of the rain, so we were able to work it out so all the bands who wanted to perform were still able to," SPEC President and Wharton junior Catey Mark said.

"It was tense," Kefale added. "For a while, there were a lot of phone calls and rearranging stuff. We did everything we could to keep [the bands] on."

But as the day's events came to an end, the Quad filled up for the traditional performance by the Mask and Wig musical comedy troupe.

According to Kefale, Penn Police and volunteers from FlingSafe -- a student-run program intended to curb dangerous behavior -- reported that there was not much drinking on Saturday.

"Even on Friday people were still drinking, but I think it was a bit more responsible," Mark said.

Organizers attributed the more easygoing atmosphere to both the bad weather and SPEC's efforts.

"I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we communicated that Fling is at risk ... so it impacted some students to think about their actions," Mark said. "I think FlingSafe did play a role, and students partied responsibly."

Student and food vendors in the Quad also felt the effects of the low turnout during the day.

"It's hard not to be disappointed, but all in all [vendors] were very happy to be at Fling," Chanin said. Slow days are "part of the business."

Overall, students still seemed to enjoy the weekend.

"Everybody was determined to have a good time and not let the weather get them down,"College freshman Brooke Boyarsky said.

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