If you weren't "The Luckiest" when it came to getting Ben Folds tickets and are wondering why the venue won't change, SPEC wants to explain.
In an effort to address student concerns about the upcoming Spring Fling concert featuring Ben Folds and Third Eye Blind, SPEC Concerts and SPEC Exec have written an open letter to "members of the University Community" explaining why the concert is set up the way it is.
"We were concerned people didn't understand the full story," said SPEC Concerts co-Director and Wharton and Engineering senior Matt Mizrahi. "We wanted to explain the reasons we're doing what we're doing."
The letter mainly concerns why the concert is being held at Wynn Commons instead of larger venues, such as Franklin Field or Hill Field, as some students have suggested.
According to the letter, posted on SPEC's Web site, such a move is not possible at this point because it "would take an extraordinary effort and entail significant costs that SPEC simply does not have the resources to provide."
University officials have not allowed SPEC to hold concerts on Hill Field since 2002, according to SPEC. Additionally, if the concert were held at Hill Field, it would not afford a much larger crowd due to "several logistical factors which the Division of Public Safety uses to determine the capacity of a venue."
The letter also explained that the Athletic Department informed SPEC in the fall that Franklin Field would not be available for use this year. No specific reason was given.
Mizrahi said members of SPEC had seen such suggestions in various places, including on Facebook.com. The group "Students for Moving the Ben Folds/Third Eye Blind Concert to Hill Field" had 613 members as of last night.
Wharton junior Emily Ratcliffe is one of the members of the group.
"More then being mad, I'm disappointed," Ratcliffe said.
She noted that, in the past, popular performers such as Busta Rhymes performed in Franklin Field, and she was disappointed SPEC did not give Ben Folds a similar venue.
Ratcliffe missed out on tickets but has found many other students are going to try and enjoy the concert anyway.
"Everyone is just saying we can just sit on College Green," Ratcliffe said. But she said that in the alcohol-soaked atmosphere of Spring Fling, angry fans may try and get into the concert with or without tickets.
SPEC's open letter strongly discouraged such action and reminded students that Pennsylvania's scalping laws will be strictly enforced.
The full letter can be read on SPEC's Web site, www.specevents.net.
