In perhaps the largest student-interest story of this year,
A.S. programmers recently presented their newly hatched plan that completely
redesigns the Sun God Festival. The “five pillars of Sun God” are thematically
programmed around five new locations on RIMAC Field, including a
Avenue
games, complete with a Ferris wheel (consider this the official call for
Astrojumps).
Naysayers are partially correct. It is easy to see the
effort as hammed up and hokey, a half-hearted attempt to meet demands that the
Sun God Festival acquire a safer “community-building” character. But to be
fair, the festival has never had a character or spirit about it, only
representing a singular day of let-loose, balls-out flavor. We have all bonded
over Sun God, but that bond has never been explicitly defined or fleshed out.
Credit is due to A.S. programmers for being the first to
stab at that definition, especially considering the cauldron of scandal they
were boiling in earlier this year. The Sun God Planning Report nearly damned
the festival’s reputation with anecdotal and statistical revelations about
arrests, citations and unruly crowds at poorly managed entrances. It was input
and communication from several committee meetings that yielded positive
results, and A.S. Associate Vice President of
says that the new plan is meshing well with administrators.
But now, the programmers have one last hurdle: convincing
students. The key to a successful event this year is proper publication of the
completely redone procedures and educating students about them. It is vital
that students aren’t jarred by the transitions. Foreseeable pitfalls are easy
to find: Programmers’ decision to restrict day-of wristband sales could severely
poison students’ experiences. Allowing only four days to obtain wristbands, or
buy them for guests, will undoubtedly stir panic-stricken crowds. A smooth
transition hinges both on programmers’ efforts to communicate and students’
efforts to listen.
Still, the re-engineered festival is certainly enticing for
its sheer curatorial vision. It brings into the fold a swath of campus entities
but, most importantly, it showcases a student-led atmosphere, one that
programmers have finally been able to identify and codify. Student artwork,
films and performances can now have their piece of Sun God within the Midway,
just as young local talent do at the North Stage.
Programmers are still keeping their door open to
modifications and said that they will continue committee and debriefing
meetings following the May 16 festival. But a sturdy skeleton has been formed.
Barring a complete unraveling of festival plans, students will be able to enjoy
a more lively, vibrant and dynamic festival.
Time will tell Sun God’s future. Too hokey? Get rid of the
carnival motif. Too hard to get tickets? Extend the days they are distributed.
Complaints will be commonplace, but programmers this year have illustrated a
newfound connectivity with their
audience. Let this year’s Sun God be our chance to herald its second coming,
and use it to mold all of the festivals to follow.
