Spring Fling logo shows off Ben Franklin's 'License to Fling'

With Spring Fling less than two weeks away, the campus is gearing up for a fun - but safe - weekend of music and partying.

Today marks the start of T-shirt and guest pass sales on Locust Walk. Both items, which cost $10 and $20, respectively, will feature the Spring Fling logo, designed by College sophomore Kathleen Sieffert.

Sieffert said she tried to combine the James Bond theme with the Ben Franklin "cult" that exists at Penn.

The 2,000 guest passes will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis between Monday, April 2 and Thursday, April 12.

Those who want passes will have to register and fill out an online form. They will then have to print and sign a list of rules and regulations and bring them to the Office of Student Life between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Students may purchase a maximum of two guest passes each.

During Fling itself, there will be 47 different groups performing during the daytime on Friday, April 13th and Saturday, April 14th.

College junior and Spring Fling director Anna Raper said that the entertainment will be a mix of student a capella and dance performances and bands coming from as far as New York City. There may also be smaller performances by students groups, like skits or individual songs, in between the bigger daytime acts.

"I think we're very much where we wanted to be at this point," Raper said. "Things are really coming together on schedule."

FlingSafe, the group of student volunteers who work to promote safe and responsible behavior during Fling, is also in the midst of preparations for the event.

Students participating in FlingSafe volunteer to work a two and a half hour shift between noon and 7:30 p.m. on either Friday or Saturday. They walk around each of the College Houses in the Quadrangle to encourage responsible behavior among their peers.

"FlingSafe is not there to get students in trouble," Wharton senior and SPEC president Catey Mark said. "The idea is that the positive peer pressure will help keep our fellow students safe and responsible."

College senior Anna Pearce, who serves as secretary of the SPEC executive board, added that students "may be more responsible to a peer than an administration figure," and that the peer-to-peer interaction can have a really positive impact.

The 250 volunteers - who were recruited in about two weeks - will each receive a free ticket to the Friday night Ben Folds/Third Eye Blind concert.

But Pearce said SPEC took the necessary precautions to ensure that students were not just signing up to get the free ticket.

"I would hope that people would get involved because they do want to make a difference," she said.

Last night, SPEC released an online video, starring College junior Jason Karsh playing a Borat-esque character, that promotes the fun, non-drinking aspects of Fling.

The video can be viewed at www.specevents.net.

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