Sigma Alpha Iota’s annual All Campus Sing event was pushed to April 30 amid a flurry of uncertainties.
ACS was originally scheduled for Saturday, April 5, but rescheduled after severe weather, including multiple tornado watches, threatened to impact the event. Organizers attempted to move the event into the CFSB Center before rescheduling the event entirely. This would have been a big change for the typically outdoor event.
Its original Saturday lineup also broke a tradition for the event, which is typically hosted on a Wednesday. In an email to The News, ACS Chair Gena Ann Parker said the change intended to make the event more accessible to students and professors who may otherwise have to skip class to attend the event.
“I personally never understood why such a big event with so much student involvement took place on a school day,” Parker said. “It being on a weekend also allowed for more people to be able to attend and support the students performing who have worked so hard the past couple of months to put on their routines.”
The event’s new date, however, puts it back onto its traditional Wednesday schedule. According to an email to The News by Sigma Alpha Iota, this is because April 30 is the only available day for Lovett. Organizers still plan on a Saturday schedule for future events.
Although the event was moved back to a wednesday, some students welcomed a saturday performance. Ali Khatib, sophomore Spanish and political science major, is one of the performers for this year’s event. Khatib, who is involved in Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity’s production, said the change worked better for students and viewers.
“I think that’s awesome because last year I had a teacher who was very adamant about having class on that day, so I still had to go to her class or else I would get points taken off, but being on a Saturday just gives us more time to prepare,” Khatib said. “I think it’ll make it more enjoyable for the viewers.”
Trenton Jones, senior cybersecurity and network management major, said the rescheduling worked out for him as he was unable to attend on Saturday. On the topic of the event’s weekday schedule, Jones said he understood why people wanted the event on Saturday, but that its original schedule also worked.
“I know originally a lot of professors were kind of against having to cancel class and move class and all that,” Jones said. “So I understand why they want to put it on a Saturday and probably get a lot more people to show up for it. But again, I think Wednesday is a good day for it.”
The event’s rescheduling impacted many students planning on attending the event, both as viewers and performers. Micah Taylor, a graduate student studying speech language pathology, said she originally planned to watch the event with friends during its Saturday performance. Taylor said, however, that she is glad the event will be held outdoors now instead of in CFSB.
“I was sad (it was rescheduled). I had some friends coming in to watch it this past weekend,” Taylor said. “But that’s when it was going to be in the CFSB Center. I wasn’t looking forward to it as much because it would be more condensed and the audio probably wouldn’t be as good. But I’m happy that it’s going to be outside.”
Jared Juenger, junior middle school education major, is one of the performers for the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Juenger said the move was hard as a performer who had spent months practicing for the performance and would have to continue practicing for weeks to come.
“Just being in an organization that is participating, it was a little, not frustrating, but like we were kind of really looking forward to doing it on Saturday,” Jueng said. “But I’m really glad that now it’s back outside on the steps of Lovett (Auditorium) and not on a stage inCFSB because it keeps that tradition of it being on the Lovett steps.”
On the question of ACS being held on Saturday, Jueng said it had originally worked out for him as his family would be able to attend, but now they likely won’t. He also said that the change could bring a lot of community involvement compared to it being held on a Wednesday.
Kane Purdy, sophomore English education major, is another student performing in this year’s event. Director and coordinator for Hart and Franklin College’s performance, Purdy said they were happy the event got pushed back to April 30. Purdy said the event wouldn’t be the same inside CFSB and that their team appreciated the extra time to practice for their performance.
“I am very glad that it got moved back,” Purdy said. “You know it being in Lovett is a big part of the tradition. Plus everyone had a lot of their choreography planned around it, so it just wouldn’t (have) been the same in CFSB.”
Matt Gingles, owner of Burrito Shack, also said he was happy for the event’s rescheduling. Burrito Shack is one of the largest donors for ACS, an event which Gingles said is the busiest day of the year for the restaurant.
Gingles said he was originally excited to hear the event was being held on a Saturday, as it could mean bigger attendance and more customers. After hearing it was moved to CFSB however, Gingles said he was frustrated it was not cancelled instead. Now that it has moved back to the steps of Lovett, which is close to his business, Gingles said he is excited for the event.
This year’s All Campus Sing will be held April 30 at 4:30 p.m. on the steps of the Lovett Auditorium. For more information, check out the Sigma Alpha Iota Instagram page @SAI_iotabeta
