Alternate flinging

While College freshman Stamati Liapis’ friends will be partying in the Quad this weekend, Liapis himself does not plan on taking part in traditional Fling activities.

Liapis, who is making the decision to spend his weekend doing community service rather than anticipating Tiësto and Passion Pit’s performances, is not alone in his decision to not participate in Fling.

College freshman Hector Kilgoe won’t be going to the concert either.

“I’m not really interested in the performers,” Kilgoe said, so he was not willing to spend money on a ticket.

“A lot of people just go because it’s the Fling concert,” he added. But for students like Kilgoe, doing what everyone else does is not a priority. Instead, this weekend is about celebrating their own personal Fling.

The Age of Flinging

Because freshmen like Kilgoe are not familiar with the Fling dynamic, some are not highly anticipating the weekend.

“I don’t think freshmen really know how Fling works, [so] I think the upperclassmen are more excited for it,” Kilgoe said. “People who have done it before are excited to do it again.”

Kilgoe, however, is excited for the Fling attitude in general and predicts that it will be “a week[end] of fun,” which he may allow himself to get caught up in.

“Everything is going to seem a little more relaxed” during Fling, he added.

While many students on campus will similarly get swept up in Fling festivities, others feel that the weekend is geared to a specific demographic.

Melanie Pino-Elliot, a graduate student working towards her masters in criminology, feels that she has outgrown Fling and may have been more interested if she were still an undergraduate.

“It does strike me as something mostly for undergraduates,” she said.

Between classwork and job applications, Pino-Elliot doesn’t have time to add more activities and is too busy to attend Fling.

Even for these students who are not preparing for the weekend, Fling fever feels unavoidable.

Kilgoe and Liapis feel Fling will come to them in the Quad, whether they plan on attending or not.

“I’m worried about … destruction to the Quad,” Kilgoe said. “But they do this every year so it can’t be that bad.”

Work Hard, Play Hard

Whether students are ready for it or not, many feel that Fling weekend will be a nice break from classes.

Ellen Williams, campus staff member for the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, sees Fling as a chance to “recharge [your] batteries.”

“I encourage students to look at Fling as an opportunity to actually rest,” she said. “It’s important to take care of your body over the weekend.”

Because Fling falls between midterms and finals for many academic schedules, Williams hopes students will take advantage of this chance to decompress.

“There are safe ways to have fun at Fling,” she added. “You don’t actually have to be drunk all week.”

For Williams herself, who graduated from the College in 2011, she used Fling as a chance to get away from campus to unwind.

“We did something fun, but we got away from the ‘busy-ness’ of Fling to do something more relaxing and fun,” she said. Her group of friends took a trip to Center City for ice cream.

Danielle Heitmann, project manager at the Christian Association and 2010 College graduate, agreed.

“It sort of feels like drinking is everywhere on campus,” Heitmann said, adding that students should not feel the “need to go over-the-top to have fun during Spring Fling.”

Other students agree that substance abuse should not play such a central role in Fling activities.

Liapis, who grew up in Paris where the drinking age is 16, feels that some Penn students can be “immature” when it comes to alcohol.

“Many of my good friends will be very different during the concert than what they normally are,” he said. For him, this fact makes Fling less appealing.

Alternative Flinging

For those students who are interested in participating in other activities during Fling weekend, College sophomore Penny Jennewein has organized Alternate Spring Fling. Last year, ASF offered guided meditation and yoga sessions throughout the weekend.

This year, Jennewein is working with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to spend the weekend raising awareness and fighting for a cause.

On Saturday at 3 p.m., Jennewein will join with the coalition, Philadelphia Fair Food and Penn students to protest outside of Chipotle Mexican Grill for the rights of farm workers.

“I want to have fun in a way that is not degrading,” Jennewein explained.

Penn Women’s Center will similarly be offering a Fling break. Now in its fourth year, Fling Break will “offer students a more [cozy], lower-key place to celebrate Fling,” Shaina Adams-El Guabli, programs and outreach coordinator for the PWC wrote in an email.

On Friday from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., PWC will be open to students and guests with Fling passes for free food, games, activities, and dancing.

While some students are questioning whether they will participate in Fling, for others the choice is a matter of religion.

This year, Fling weekend overlaps with several major religious holidays. Jewish and Eastern Orthodox Catholic students will have to balance religion and Fling.

Liapis, who is Eastern Orthodox, plans on spending his weekend volunteering to celebrate the holiday.

“I decided that [volunteering would] be a nice thing to do instead of going to the concert,” he said. “I thought it would be a better idea to do something more low-key given that it is during an important religious holiday.”

Jeremy Hurewitz, the vice president of external affairs for Hillel, hopes that students will remember this weekend is a significant Jewish holiday.

“Enjoy Fling,” he suggested, “but at the same time remember that Passover is still happening.”

Hillel has been working with SPEC to make sure that students can enjoy Fling while keeping Kosher for Passover. Toward this end, SPEC is giving Hillel free space in the Quad so they can provide free Kosher for Passover food. Hillel will also be offering pre-made meals that students can pick up during the weekend.

To celebrate the end of Passover on Saturday evening, Hillel will also be holding a pancake “breakfast” at 10 p.m. on College Green.

In the end, Hurewitz and Hillel hope that Jewish students will be able to enjoy Passover and Fling at the same time.

“I hope that students will find a way to balance it,” he said.

Heitmann and the Christian Association suggested a similar way of looking at Fling.

“Have fun,” Heitmann suggested, “[but also] remember your values and remember that there are plenty of ways to have fun without going over the edge.”

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