Tonight, the Bacchanal committee issued a press release in regards to the religious conflicts with the date for this year’s spring concert. In response to many students complaints about the concert date falling on the weekend of Passover and Easter, the Board responded by saying the date was the only option given graduation set up the weekend following Days on Campus. The date has been just one of the handful of student complaints, including the ticket charge and capped attendance at this year’s Bacchanal. See the full statement below.

After the cancellation of Fall Bacchanal, the Bacchanal executive board met with the deans of the four undergraduate schools to hear their concerns and ensure the continued existence of Spring Bacchanal. During this meeting, it was made very clear that all of the deans’ requests had to be met in order to guarantee that the concert would take place. One such request from the administration was that Bacchanal should not fall on the scheduled Days on Campus. Bacchanal has historically coincided with this date, but this year it was made clear that a change was necessary. The following Saturday after the original date, April 18th, was not an option due to graduation set up. As a result, April 4th was chosen. Our executive board members constitute several faiths, including those affected by this year’s concert scheduling. We understand how holy these days are. We by no means intended to undermine their importance, but rather, took any action necessary simply to ensure that the concert would even take place. After a successful show this coming April, the board hopes to work with campus partners to ensure this scheduling does not happen again next year.

The Bacchanal Executive Board