Although Sproncert is not until May 18, the Student Activities Office’s (SAO) planning of the event is well underway. This week, the office had its annual vote for the Sproncert logo. Students submitted their designs earlier this term, and the chosen image will appear on the (free!) t-shirts given out at the event. Other dates before the event include the announcement of the five bands performing on April 27, 28, 29, 30 and May 1, respectively.
Semera Kimbel-Sannit ’25, the Music and Dance Assistant for SAO, spoke about the challenges of planning and promoting Sproncert, especially before the event happens. She says the process “is unique” in the sense it “can be both frustrating and incredibly rewarding as we work within an already established framework to produce something that feels and looks new every year.” Unlike other campus events that may change from year to year, the structure of Sproncert is always set. Despite the committee planning lots of fun surprises, the set of DJs, bands and a headliner accompanied by food trucks and other refreshments largely stays the same from year to year, making innovation and creating excitement difficult.
Although Sproncert is an irreplaceable part of Spring Term, the timing also presents a challenge for planning. Unlike Date Knight or the Mid-Winter Ball — which occur in the fall and winter — Sproncert has other major Spring Term celebrations to compete with. Kimbel-Sannit describes how “everyone is always excited about the Rotblatt logo but I know for a fact many of my friends don’t even know you can vote for the Sproncert logo,” and even more so, “some don’t even know there is a logo!”
To combat this, the committee always wants “to involve students in planning by allowing them to suggest artists, vote on their t-shirt’s designs, t-shirt colors, etc.” The ultimate goal of all the outreach and encouraged participation in the behind-the-scenes of Sproncert “is that with more involvement from the student body, they will feel more of a vested interest in the event’s success.” Given the finite time, resources and ability of Carleton to put on Sproncert, inevitably the event will not be perfect for everyone. In fact SAO knows “there are a lot of people who don’t come to Sproncert at all.” But instead of forgoing that audience, they are dedicated to making the event as fun as possible for everyone, which “is a huge reason why we try to enlist a diverse and varied group of artists to play at Sproncert. We understand Sproncert is one of the most front-facing events that Carleton holds, and so we want it to be representative of the whole student body.”
To do so, the committee begins “planning for Sproncert starts deep in Winter Term and goes up to the day before.” The group is assembled with representatives of all class years to “try to put something together that everyone will love.” And, if students who are not on the committee want to share their thoughts on the event, they are encouraged to reach out to [email protected]. Questions, comments, concerns and anecdotes are always encouraged and are part of the reason Sproncert historically has been so successful.
When the student body gets excited and involved Sproncert is often an unparalleled highlight of the spring. Kimbel-Sannit joined SAO this year “because one of [her] favorite parts of Carleton is how much the student body loves our traditions. When you ask alumni, these events are also often what they pick out of their extensive Carleton experiences. Although Sproncert might not be as historically loved and unique as Rotblatt and it might not promote competition quite like Schiller, it is still a beloved tradition. I wanted to be a part of planning and maintaining something that so many people love so much. On that note, I really hope everyone loves it this year!” Certainly, many feel the same and should get involved to help peak interest and attendance for the event.
SAO encourages students to keep an eye on their emails and the Sproncert Instagram (@Carleton_Sproncert) for updates, including some “special surprises” in the coming weeks.
