Max Erickson / Sun Star
This year’s SpringFest overlaps with Earth Day and takes place April 21-23.
The Review of Infrastructure, Sustainability and Energy (RISE) board has been working closely with the Nanook Traditions Board to make sure that workers will be at most major events helping recycle, compost and spread environmental awareness, according to the Nanook Tradition Board Chair, Jerzy Ellanna.
“My favorite part of the organization is seeing all different parts of the campus community come together,” Ellanna said. “We work with a lot of clubs who want to be involved, as well as a lot of departments to coordinate activities. I love that everyone looks forward to SpringFest throughout the cold dark months of winter.”
This annual event began in the late 1950s. The earliest documentation found that it was mentioned in 1958 and was called “a day that classes are dismissed and the whole campus gets out… for a variety of activities- recreational, social and service oriented,” according to the Student Activities Office’s (SAO) website.
It was originally named All-Campus Day in the late 1950s which then became Meltdown and is now currently SpringFest. Festivities have always carried over into the weekend creating a several-day chain of activities that the SAO has worked hard to maintain.
The purpose of SpringFest is to provide students with stress-relieving celebration before finals. UAF faculty requested for All-Campus Day at first so that their students would have proper rest so they could achieve the best grade possible during finals. That is why such an emphasis is placed on having fun activities, according to SAO.
A Watermelon Drop and barbecue, which is open to all students, faculty and staff will be kick off this year’s festival. Mud volleyball, broomball and field day, will follow in a schedule full of activities to help students relax and prepare for finals. The Concert Board will also host a concert during SpringFest weekend.
The full schedule will be released this week on the Student Activities Office’s website.