As the academic year comes to a close, long-missed sunshine, final exams and looming goodbyes are swiftly entering the lives of Boston University students, but the the Programming Council is making an effort to unite the body in one last hurrah for the year with Springfest, the university’s annual spring festival.
Programming Council Executive Vice Chair Geetha Mathews said the purpose of Springfest is to calm students down during a hectic period of the year.
“The last week before finals is such a stressful time,” the College of Arts and Sciences junior said, “and we try to bring people together before we all disperse for the summer.”
Springfest events began Wednesday night with comedienne Margaret Cho in the George Sherman Union’s Metcalf Hall.
CAS sophomore Arthur Meyer expressed his excitement before the event.
“I love Springfest because it represents everything about spring that blooms,” he said. “Margaret Cho’s appearance is comparable to the flowers which bloom and speak to the sky, being the student body, and say, ‘Hello sky, it’s nice to be at BU.'”
But many students are unaware of the host of other events the Programming Council is offering during the upcoming week, CAS freshman Lina Rodriguez said. The council’s Springfest offerings could have been more publicized, she said.
“I saw the big huge poster [for the Margaret Cho event] at the GSU,” Rodriguez said, “but the only reason I found about the other stuff was because my [resident assistant] posted it in my dorm.”
On Thursday night, Students Infecting the Community with Kindness, a BU community service group, is sponsoring an “End of the Year Bash” at Tequila Rain on Lansdowne Street.
Friday night, the Warren Alpert Mall, or “BU Beach,” will be transformed into a drive-in movie theatre sans vehicles, where Tim Burton’s film Big Fish will be shown. In case of inclement weather, the free viewing will be moved into the shelter of Metcalf Hall.
On Saturday night from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m., Sargent Gymnasium will be filled with punch, cookies, fantastically hideous dresses and the sounds of Duran Duran and a-ha for Springfest’s version of a 1980s prom.
CAS senior Anna Morey, who organized the dance, said the prom will be “a fun way to reminisce about our childhood.”
The mock prom costs $5 and the proceeds go to the Community Service Center’s Playground Project, which is raising money to build a safe play area for children in Roxbury.
Sunday, BU’s chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars is presenting the third annual Night of Cabaret at 6 p.m. in Morse Auditorium. Past performers have included a cappella groups, bands, dance groups, comedy groups and BU professors.
Indian film Monsoon Wedding, directed by Mira Nair, will be shown Monday evening at 7 p.m. in Morse, and the proceeds go to a women’s shelter.
Planners hope the events give a sense of community to the campus which can often be lacking, Student Activities Office Assistant Director Jeff Murphy said.
“The Programming Council works really hard behind the scenes on a small budget,” Murphy said.
The goal of Springfest is to provide a variety of events to appeal to a wide audience, he said.
“It’s all in the theme of ‘BUnited,'” Mathews said, “bringing students with all different interests together.”