SJB's WesFest Exemption for Eclectic, Revealed

So probably the most contentious thing about Eclectic being banned from hosting any more events this semester is that one exception in particular was made: a concert on WesFest weekend.

From the WesFest event catalogue:

09:00 PM - 01:00 AM

Alumni Music Extravaganza ft. Francis and the Lights, Das Racist, Acrylics, and See/Saw!

This will be a dance party night to remember, featuring three successful Brooklyn-based Wesleyan alumni bands and one current student band. Not to be missed for fans of MGMT!

Location: Eclectic House (200 High St), Ballroom

DIRECTLY REFERENCES MGMT.

Come, prefrosh! Look at our music scene! JUST KIDDING.

Well, it's incredibly convenient that the only show escaping the effective shutting down of Wesleyan's student music scene falls during WesFest and is only the most prominent example of said music scene this semester.

And the fact that this is the one event they're letting slide undermines the stated rationale for banning events in the first place: because of a noise complaint. All this talk about the event that's being exempt from the Eclectic shut-down... what is it? A talk, an academic lecture, a convention? IT'S A SHOW. A Wes alum band showcase. THAT WILL BE NOISY.

I'm really looking forward to hearing the Student Judicial Board's rationale behind this in detail, when/if it becomes available. We've heard Eclectic's side of the story, but it's necessary to get a more complete picture of why the punishment seems so much implausibly harsher than the crime as it's been described so far.

But from the way it looks now, it just seems that there was a remarkable lack of foresight in the making of this decision. More info as it comes in.

Petition to Overturn Eclectic Hosting Ban

An online petition to lift the ban on social events at Eclectic is up. Here's what you're signing for:

The Eclectic Society has recently been informed by Scott Backer and the Student Judicial Board that all events, lectures, gatherings, and shows taking place at 200 High St. this semester – including those already scheduled – must be canceled due to a “House Hosting Restriction.” Backer and the SJB have made one exception: WesFest weekend. We feel that in eliminating Eclectic as a campus-wide venue, these restrictions threaten to eliminate an integral campus space necessary to foster the creative and intellectual energy upon which Wesleyan prides itself. We will be appealing this mandate this week and hope that wide student support will help the case.

In signing this petition I declare my support for the Eclectic Society’s efforts to overturn the House Hosting Restriction in order to maintain all previously-scheduled events for the duration of the semester.

If you're somehow resentful of Eclectic, be clear about the distinction between your sense of schadenfreude and the seriously negative impact this ban will have on life at Wesleyan. Shutting down all events taking place at Eclectic for the rest of the semester doesn't just punish Eclectic members, it punishes the campus as a whole.

Eclectic is unmatched as a consistent venue for events at Wesleyan, and you've got to understand the benefits of having it available as a public space for students even if you don't personally attend these events .

And if you do appreciate live music, just look at this sad, sad list of events from Aural Wes and note how many are potentially no longer happening:

UPCOMING EVENTS

march 4: buru style & special guest (public)

march 5: noms, decora, sewing machines, tall tales (eclectic) CANCELLED

march 5: chris white, stephanie nilles, captain coconut (earth house)

march 25: cassorla, dear lamp (earth house)

march 26: pink reason, hue blanc's joyless ones (eclectic)CANCELLED

march 26: dar williams

march 27: ryan leslie (eclectic)CANCELLED

march 28: kentucky fried doom, sourvein, ehnahre, relics (eclectic)CANCELLED

march 28: raina rose, rebecca loebe (earth house)

april 3: buru style, barefoot junction, banish the rabbit (psi u)

april 3: big tree, shai erlichman, tall tales (eclectic)CANCELLED

april 4: pissed jeans, drunkdriver (eclectic)CANCELLED

april 10: previously on lost (eclectic)CANCELLED

april 11: art show with musical guests adam gunther, zully adler, celia hollander (eclectic)CANCELLED

april 16: das racist, francis & the lights, acrylics, tall tales (eclectic)CANCELLED - oops, this one will still happen!

april 23: battle of the bands (eclectic)CANCELLED

april 24: ponytail, miracles of modern science (eclectic)CANCELLED

april 30: mice parade (eclectic)CANCELLED

may 1: japanther, ninjasonik, grocery thief, michael jordan (eclectic)

& more! (send us your shows)

The SJB should really consider other ways of sanctioning those students responsible for the infractions that led to this restriction, which aren't detrimental to the greater student body.

Read Aural Wes editor Anna Wiener '09's impassioned plea to students here. Paper petitions will be distributed all week during meal times at Usdan, but be sure to sign the online one as well.

Judging by the interest expressed by readers in the previous post, we will easily get 1,000 signatures over the next few days.

Online petition to lift the ban on social events at Eclectic.

Starbursts and Milky Ways!

Join the Astronomy Department and Science Hall for a special open observing night Thursday, April 17th from 8-9PM in the Van Vleck Observatory. Have you ever wanted to see the sky up close and personal? Well here is your chance to see both Saturn and the Moon through the telescopes! Don't worry if it is cloudy, we'll have the planetarium out too! (The weather looks good, so there should be clear skies for viewing)

Everyone is welcome! Bring your friends and prefrosh!

Where: Van Vleck Observatory (top of the hill)
When: Thursday, April 17th (tomorrow)

Edit: fixed font--Xiaoxi

Mark your.....

So, it emerges that your friendly neighborhood WSA, in addition to their quest to force greenitude into our administrative establishment, has done a lot of work putting together a sweet calendar of student events. We're hopefully going to be contributing some content to that calendar, but in the mean time I've ensconced it (with some additions) at the bottom of the page. I find that the agenda view tends to avoid the clutter that comes with how frickin' many events we have on this campus, but suit yourself and give us some feedback.