It's time to boogie down.
On Wednesday, the Campus Activities Board (CAB) finally made the official announcement that Santigold and Sean Kingston will be headlining this year's Ivies celebration.
The two stars will perform on the Quad Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Student bands Mr. Suds and the Phunky Fresh All-Stars will open.
This year's acts represent a break from tradition. According to CAB co-chair Katherine Finnegan '09, the two artists "are more co-headliners than anything, even though Sean Kingston is playing before Santigold." Whereas the two acts are traditionally more similar and "there is one clear opener," she highlighted how this year's selections "have very different followings and very different styles."
Finnegan said that CAB was pleased with the outcome of the selection process, which began in November.
"Within CAB they were top picks...and I think this year the genres can appeal to a wide range of people, so we're really happy about it," she said. "Most importantly we hope the campus enjoys it."
Santigold and Kingston each cost, according to Finnegan, about $20,000-$25,000 to bring to campus.
Third Eye Blind and Vampire Weekend were among the other options that CAB considered but were unavailable due to a variety of restraints.
"It's often the location that is difficult, money, conflicting dates, recording time. It can be difficult matching schedules," Finnegan said.
Finnegan said that everything with the booking process went smoothly this year. She mentioned that the creation of the Entertainment Board (E-Board), which will replace CAB next year, "was definitely not a direct result" of any problems encountered during this year's planning.
Food for all
To make up for the lack of Super Snack tonight and tomorrow night, Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) is planning to pick up the snack slack.
"There's no more apt time to provide food and non-alcoholic beverages than Ivies," said BSG President Sophia Seifert '09.
Tonight, from around 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., BSG will provide chips, cookies, water, and juice by Watson Arena. Tomorrow night, 100 pizzas will be delivered to Pine Street in waves around midnight. Citing a desire to support local businesses, Seifert said that BSG chose to order from the Brunswick House of Pizza, which is staying open late to accommodate the special order.
Dining Service is also organizing a barbecue on the Quad tomorrow from around 4:30 to 7 p.m. Last year's barbecue served about 1,200 people, according to Associate Director of Dining Service Ken Cardone. He said that approximately 2,000 hamburgers, 1,500 hot dogs, and 48 gallons of coleslaw were consumed.
This year will feature the same "traditional barbecue menu," with express meals available at Moulton Union for those who aren't interested in participating or who don't have time to brave the lines.
Cardone said that traditional indoor dining can be hard when, after the concert ends, everyone storms in all at once and "chokes the place."
"It could get rowdy in the dining hall," he said.
Furthermore, "If it's a nice day, we [the Dining Service staff] want to be outside, too," said Cardone.
BSG spent around $2,500 out of the $3,000 allotted for refreshments. Discussions began before Spring Break, and, as previously reported in the Orient, have ranged from ice cream truck proposals to warnings of potential "pizza riots."
Given that past BSG meetings during Ivies "may not have been the most productive or professional," Seifert said, this week's meeting was canceled. In an April 25, 2008, article, the Orient reported that "several BSG members showed up to the meeting visibly intoxicated, some with red Solo cups in hand."
Seifert cautioned that Ivies must be treated as a privilege, not a right.
"I hope that students really do try to remain positive and respectful. This is a tradition we want to keep, and [I hope students] won't do anything that would jeopardize that," she said.
Safety measures
Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols and his staff "see Ivies coming from a mile away."
"I will be working here continuously throughout the weekend," Nichols said. "I'll be averaging four hours [of sleep] a night for the next four nights, guaranteed."
Security makes significant changes to accommodate the Ivies festivities. He said that they significantly "beef up the shifts," with "several people working several overtime shifts."
Nichols assured that they will have "adequate resources at all the major events," including Pine Street, Harpswell, and Brunswick apartments, the concert on the Quad, and the College House events.
Security has also extended the schedule of the Bowdoin Shuttle service available for the duration of the weekend.
In an "Ivies Guide" e-mailed to all students, Nichols wrote, "College policies are enforced during Ivies, too." But in an interview with the Orient, he spoke of how circumstances dictate that they must be enforced differently.
"Our focus is very much based on the health and safety of the students," Nichols said. "We spend most of our efforts on the high-risk situations."
According to Nichols, who is entering his fourth Ivies, the weekend elicits only a slight increase in disciplinary write-ups. "Our policy is not 'Let's see how many violations we can write up,'" he said.
"I'm trying to prevent people from getting killed or injured," he said. "Someone who is taking a sip of beer, drinking responsibly, is probably not going to injure anybody."
Nichols wanted to remind students that "the big, long party does come to an end and reality will be waiting on Monday."
"Think twice before you commit to a course of action," he said. "Think twice and then call Randy. Because I'll be sober."
Nichols stressed the importance of not driving after drinking, and of being considerate to campus neighbors. He warned that students are "most likely to encounter the police in an area of public property."
Regarding the Brunswick Police Department (BPD), Nichols said, "I would characterize our relationship as professional...We want to be on the same page while keeping in mind that our jobs are different."
In his 12 years with the BPD, Community Policing Officer Terry Goan said he has seen its relationship with Bowdoin Security grow "a whole lot closer."
Nichols said that "several times" last year he collaborated with the BPD to issue Criminal Trespass Orders to campus guests who, among other disturbances, started a campfire in the middle of Pinestock.
"We've got some undesirables that will try to get into parties on College property," said Goan. "We don't care so much that you've got a party going on, but we want to kick that other person out."
For Ivies, the BPD will be more aware and somewhat more staffed, Goan said.
"There may be a body or two just up there all night, around campus, around the Quad—where the crowd seems to be."
The BPD is primarily concerned with drinking in public, overconsumption of alcohol, and neighborhood disturbances.
"What people do in their own rooms, we don't really care. That's College property," said Goan.
Concern for safety, said Goan, should take priority over fear of punishment.
"People die of alcohol poisoning. It's important that they get the help they need. You might get in trouble, but that's a whole lot less important than someone's life."
Town and gown
Brunswick residents seem largely oblivious to the pandemonium.
"I haven't noticed," said Toni Pavlovick, a Brunswick resident. "I haven't really seen anything different."
Big Top Deli owner Tony Sachs, however, reports that "everyone seems like they're pretty well hung over, and then they miss the dining hall. Everyone just kind of stumbles in."
With rainy weather presenting a dreary beginning to a legendary week, first years anticipating their first Ivies were unsure of what to expect, and of whether reality will live up to the myth.
"I feel like the hype is making it seem a lot more exciting than it actually is," said Jen Wenz '12.
"A lot of people have events coinciding with Ivies, so I wonder whether it'll be as exciting as they say," added Liz Huppert '12.
Steven Kolberg '09, who works at Hawthorne-Longfellow Library, said attendance "will be way down, especially if the weather's good," although he could not vouch for it, having not been in the library himself during past Ivies.
"More than anything," said Wenz, "I'm excited to watch everyone else"—especially seniors—"have fun."