Springfest is perennially the highlight of St. Lawrence students’ spring semesters. The weather is finally nice, there are lots of activities going on all weekend, and students can unwind and enjoy an outdoor concert. Many of us were looking forward to Springfest this year, especially seniors, for whom it would have been a last opportunity to let loose before graduation. Unfortunately, there will not be a Springfest this year. Although plans were made, administration decided last minute to cancel the concert.

This news may be upsetting to many St. Lawrence students, myself included. Springfest was one of my favorite events last year. The weather was beautiful, the bands were good, and there was plenty of excitement in the air. Although the announcement seemed to come out of nowhere, the administration did provide reasons for the cancellation.

The primary reason for the cancellation is a sheer lack of interest. Many students do not have any interest in partaking in Springfest festivities, and find the concert itself quite boring. The university felt that all the effort, time, and money that goes into setting up, paying the performers, security, and clean up would not be worth it if only a small portion of students actually show up to the concert.

A second reason that the concert is cancelled is student complaints. Every semester when the performing acts are announced, students complain that they were not the acts that they wanted, or that they are not famous enough. Bitterness over the performers for a free concert was too rampant among the students, so the university felt that it was better to just not have one.

The third reason that Springfest will not be held this year is the level of debauchery that students participated in last year. Cans and bottles were strewn all over campus last year, security guards at the concert had many issues to deal with, and at least one student had something stolen from them. In addition, the concert last year was held on a day that coincided with tours for high school students. These students may have been disinclined to apply to the school based on what they saw, and St. Lawrence likely suffered a dent in its reputation.

Lastly, St. Lawrence suffers quite a bit of competition from Clarkson. Clarkson tends to attract more high-profile acts for their concerts, and many St. Lawrence students go there rather than attend our own concerts on campus. The university figured that although the Springfest cancellation is unfortunate, students will still have an opportunity to attend a similar concert nearby.

The Springfest cancellation is very unfortunate indeed, especially for seniors. First-year students will have to wait until next year to experience their first Springfest, which is almost a rite of passage here at St. Lawrence. As for the rest of us, we all will just have to find another way to entertain ourselves for a weekend. Hopefully next year, Springfest will return and be bigger and better than last year. Students will just have to express more interest and complain less.