An altered format will allow the tradition of Fall Fest to continue on Sept. 14, despite a budget cut passed by the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate last year that threatened the annual live music event.
A DJ and a variety of activities will replace the usual live music performances. But TCU President Melissa Carson said this year's event would uphold Fall Fest's original purpose: to welcome and reunite students.
The festival will feature "The Trampoline Thing," which enables a person to bounce 20 feet in the air in a harness attached by bungee cords to 25-foot poles on either side of a trampoline. A rock wall, an inflatable obstacle course, a moonwalk, and free massages provided by Health Services will also be offered.
The budget for this year's "Fall Festival," which had a slight name change to signify the different format, was eliminated as part of a TCU Senate initiative to lower the student activities fee. Therefore, this year's event depended solely on independent fundraising. Asking student groups for money would have defeated the purpose of the budget cut, Carson said, since student groups are financed by the Student Activities fund.
TCU presidents frequently spend the summer on campus, primarily to plan Fall Fest. This summer, funds had to be gathered before planning could take place. Senate Executive Board members Benjamin Lee, Alison Clarke, and Andrew Potts worked with Carson throughout the process.
During fundraising, Carson only approached sources that student organizations would not petition for money later in the year, so as not to drain student activities' resources. In keeping with the tradition of University president serving as Fall Fest cosponsor, President Larry Bacow, along with Dean of Engineering Ioannis Miaoulis and Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Ernst, agreed to fund the event.
"Without their money the event couldn't happen," Carson said.
The three provided a budget of around $5,000, enough to organize a festival but short of the amount required to hire live performers. Last year's Fall Fest budget amounted to $20,000 and in 1999 it reached a high of $30,000. Both years featured multiple live acts, from rap, to hip-hop, to funk.
Carson believes this year's event may draw a larger crowd with a wider variety of musical tastes than past events that have featured a single band or group. "The goal was to have a free event that would be a fun reunion and that would appeal to as many people as possible," she said.
"This year the draw isn't a big name band, it's the chance to catch up with your friends and have a good time on campus," Carson said.
This year's Fall Festival will be relocated to the Academic Quad after Fall Fest on the Residential Quad garnered noise complaints last year and drew the Medford Police. The quad acts like an amphitheater because it is enclosed by Olin, Houston, and Miller Halls, projecting sound into surrounding neighborhoods, Carson said.
The Fall Festival will take place from 12 pm to 4 pm, and is free to all students. ID is necessary for the Dining Services lunch, and alcohol is not allowed in the quad. Cotton candy and snow cones will also be served.
