"I was told that I am ruining lives and in the same two hour period I was told that I am the savior of Ivies," said Program Advisor for the Entertainment Board (E-Board) Megan Brunmier '08 of student reactions to the new Ivies concert venue.
Needless to say, responses to the E-Board's Friday afternoon announcement of plans to move the May 1 concert to Whittier Field have been mixed.
Facebook groups have cropped up since the announcement, including "Ivies aint Ivies if it aint on the QUAD," which boasted 24 members as of yesterday.
However, the general response to the change seems positive.
"I think it could be great because there's potential for more sunshine" because of the lack of buildings, said Madeleine Sullivan '09.
"I don't mind it," said Sarah Vallimarescu ’12 of the move. "I think that kids are going to have fun no matter where the concert takes place."
"I haven't really heard that much discussion about it, which leads me to believe that students are fine with it," she continued.
Some, however, expressed concern over the new concert site's "less homey" atmosphere and more remote location.
"I worry that the football field is too big and it won't have the same feel as the Quad," said Lexa Crowley Gottlieb '10. "You feel like you're part of Bowdoin when you're on the Quad."
"Where the f*** is Whittier Field?" asked senior KC Maloney. "I just think that if the bands were going to be that high maintenance, we should have got different bands...[The Quad] is Ivies tradition."
"Tradition matters, but flexibility also matters and for the most part, I think students have been quite flexible," said Brunmier. "It's been pleasant how understanding students have been."
E-Board co-chair Lucas Delahanty '10 agreed.
"Generally it's been quite positive," said Delahanty of student response. "There's been some disappointment that it's not going to be on the Quad which is understandable, expected."
Any student disappointment has not seemed to hinder the E-Board's planning process.
"We're very well situated, so really it's about focusing on the details right now," said Brunmier. "There's a lot of prep work associated with the show—right now it's in the nitty gritty stages."
According to Brunmier, the E-Board has kept busy with tasks ranging from tabling in Smith Union to negotiating the installation of the gate that will permit the rented tractor-trailer stage to drive on to Whittier Field.
E-Board members made the neighborhood rounds on Tuesday night, alerting Whittier-area residents to the concert day's schedule.
Student starting act, Eleven, will open at 3 p.m. and Brunmier anticipates that the show will end around 8 p.m.
"I don't anticipate neighbors will be too upset," said Brunmier, as the mostly daytime concert will not keep noise-sensitive residents up all night.
E-Board members have also worked to spread information on campus. Table tents appeared in the Moulton and Thorne Halls on Wednesday bearing the "Five Rules of Ivies."
The E-Board will be selling its traditional Ivies t-shirts and unprecedented Ivies fanny packs in the coming weeks.
Ivies-themed accessories have emerged almost as quickly as the new grass on Whittier: the junior class is selling Ivies reusable mugs and sophomores Tom DiDonato, Ben Tsujiura and David Mandelbaum are selling sunglasses emblazoned with "Ivies 2010."
The three have been selling the sunglasses throughout in the week in Smith Union in an effort to raise money for an event on the Brunswick Apartments Quad on the Friday of Ivies.
"We're going to see how much money we can raise and see what we can do with it," said Didonato.
Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols added to the pool of paraphernalia on Wednesday night at an Ivies information session organized by the Bowdoin Student Government (BSG). Attendees were the first to receive "the new, designer Ivies snap bands."
The new tie-dye bracelets are follow-ups to the widely coveted neon ones Nichols distributed at the beginning of the year.
After an hour of questions and answers regarding the legality of open containers and walking through graveyards, among other Ivies concerns, Nichols snapped the first bracelet on a student, bringing Ivies to wrist and mind alike.