Additional reporting by Leigh Kloss.
Haverfest, an annual fixture at the end of spring semester, may be in danger of disappearing this year. In a November 5 email to the student body, Students’ Council Co-Vice Presidents Phil Drexler and Harvey Fulton, both ’14, informed the community that the Appointments Committee is re-opening the search for Co-Heads for the event. The reason? No students had applied.
In past years, a pair of co-heads has led the Haverfest committee in its months-long planning process. But this year, there were no volunteers by the original application due date, November 2. The deadline was pushed back to this Friday, November 9. Lily Lavner ‘07, Coordinator of Student Activities and Leadership, said that a lack of student leaders could prevent the event from taking place, and encouraged any interested parties to contact her for more information on getting involved.
At time of writing, no students have consulted with Lavner with interest in organizing the event, she said.
In an email to The Clerk, Drexler was optimistic about Haverfest’s fate.
“We don’t plan on getting no applications,” Drexler said. “I feel that students often want to do a job, but think they’ll be too busy. Usually, it just takes a little twist of his/her arm.”
The two-day-long event, which includes food, musical acts and blow-up carnival attractions, all in and around Founders, is a staple of Haverford social life.
“I would be sad if Haverfest were canceled,” said Lauren Hawkins ‘13. “Sitting on Founders Green, seeing everybody at once—it’s the only part of the semester where we take a significant amount of time to just be together without talking about homework and getting caught up in the rigmarole.”
Hawkins, however, did express the sentiment that Haverfest’s true importance goes beyond the efforts of co-heads. “My idea of Haverfest doesn’t have anything to do with hiring bands or getting blow-up moon bounces,” she said. “It’s about everyone being together in the same place for a few hours (and preferably drinking). Haverfest could happen if everyone just showed up on the Green.”
Photo by Debbie Leter.
wellll, i can’t say id be sad to see the big plastic objects and plastic cups and once-worn fanny packs (expect 4 the really cool ppl who wear them twice) disappear…about the music part… since FUCS already seems to control this, it would probz work out to be something cool. a haverfest evolved beyond plastic, whaddya think havies?