"While the bands may be good performers inthemselves, none of them can claim the namerecognition necessary to be considered headlinersor the broad appeal necessary for a campus-wideevent," read a March editorial in The DailyPennsylvanian entitled "Fling '98 Lineup Not Up toPar."

The concert, which took place Friday night, wasthe main attraction of an extensive two-day eventthat featured crafts vendors, bands, food andgames similar to those provided by Duke.

"All day we have bands playing in theQuadrangle, some of which are signed with labelsand others of which are student bands," SPEC chairSean Steinmarc says. "We also have `bouncyboxing,' where students bounce around in aninflated ring and box with oversized gloves."

There are also vendors selling various craftsand local restaurants that are brought in to sellfood. Admission to the Funk Music Festival costs$12 for students and $15 for guests. The entireuniversity can attend the rest of the festivitiesfor free, and guest passes can be obtained for $5apiece. By Thursday of last week 2,000 guestpasses had been sold.

Saturday night's events include a Super BlockParty and a Side-Show with such alternative formsof entertainment as virtual reality machines,psychics, and magicians.

To bring such a wide variety of entertainmentand such prominent bands to Penn's campus costs alot in time and money. Steinmarc said that SPECspends at least $150,000 each year on SpringFling, some of which is made back from the sale ofconcert tickets and guest passes.

Cornell: Slacking on the Slope

While Cornell may lack the annual springconcert that other schools have, Slope Day showsthat its students are not lacking in spirit or asense of tradition.

Slope Day takes place "on this massive hill inthe middle of campus," says senior LeslieKirchler, the chair of Students Offering Support(SOS). "On the last day of classes, everyonebrings their couches and chairs out onto the hill,and just starts drinking."

SOS is a volunteer organization of about 300Cornell students, staff and faculty who walkaround during the crowd of 8,000 to 10,000 andwatches out for potentially dangerous situationsor students in need of medical attention due toalcohol poisoning.

Kirchler says Slope Day has its origins in anannual Spring Parade which no longer takes place.In previous years, the university would set up astage, and student groups would bring music groupsto play on campus. But, due to safety concerns,there is no longer any formal entertainment.

"For most people, it's just a day to hang outwith friends," Kirchler says.

In the absence of big bands, students improviseto find entertainment.

"Some people even bring their instrumentsoutside and just start playing," Kirchler said."My sophomore year, it rained, and there wasmud-sliding," she adds.

Kirchler is also involved in the planning ofCornell's Senior Send-Off, which will take placefor the first time this year, two days after SlopeDay. Put together by the Cornell ConcertCommission and the Class of '98 Alumni Council,the concert will feature They Might Be Giants, aband that played Harvard's Springfest severalyears ago.