Committee planning for Spring Weekend revival

After two years, the University of Connecticut’s infamous Spring Weekend will once again take place, and the Spring Weekend Programming Committee will be holding an information session this Thursday to discuss the revamped version of the former three-day long party.

After Jafar Karzoun died during 2010’s Spring Weekend, the university took measures to put an end to the destructive and excessive partying that defined the annual event.

The university is planning on giving Spring Weekend another shot, but the theme will no longer be excessive drinking and partying but rather, “UConn Learns, UConn Serves, UConn Cares.”

The Spring Weekend Programming Committee met Tuesday night with representatives from various UConn organizations including WHUS, Community Outreach, the Residence Hall Association, UCTV, SUBOG and the Undergraduate Student Government.

Each of these organizations is planning a number of events that will be held over Spring Weekend. All of the events that take place will be cohesive with Spring Weekend’s new theme.

No plans are concrete as of now, but the organization representatives shared several ideas at Tuesday night’s meeting.

One of the tentative events mentioned was Fresh Check Day, a day created by the Jordan Matthew Porco Memorial Foundation “to honor all college students in our country who are feeling the strain of a new environment, living situations, pressures and the world of college-life.”

If things go according to plan, Fresh Check Day will kick off Spring Weekend with a lecture from Jordan Burnham, an athlete who attempted suicide and now dedicates his time to raising awareness to suicide prevention, according to Betsy Cracco, the interim director of UConn’s Counseling and Mental Health department.

Other tentative ideas included a food truck festival, an outdoor movie, volunteer work and a battle of the bands.

A meeting will be held Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. in room C80 of the Information Technologies building. All organizations looking to get involved in Spring Weekend and all students and faculty members seeking more information are encouraged to attend.

The meeting will “give a broad explanation of the theme and explain the policies,” said Rebecca Herman of the Spring Weekend Programming Committee. It will also give the participating organizations a chance to explain their events and let other students know how to get involved.