Spring Weekend is supposed to be a time of celebration for all students, a grand finale to Brown鈥檚 academic year. Historically, the Brown Concert Agency, tasked with organizing the Main Green Festival in late April, has such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Kendrick Lamar and Young Thug.
Earlier this month, BCA unveiled this year鈥檚 lineup: Yves Tumor, Jordan Ward, Elyanna and Weston Estate. Sound familiar? It didn鈥檛 to most students.
This isn鈥檛 the first time students have expressed disappointment with BCA. Last year's Spring Weekend lineup, featuring Remi Wolf, JID, Ethel Cain, Doechii, Alice Longyu Gao and 070 Shake, garnered mixed reviews. But this year's lineup selection takes that disappointment to another level. This year鈥檚 poor lineup selection, in tandem with a political twist on the event, has all but irreparably undermined the student body鈥檚 trust in the board. Only a series of serious organizational reforms can restore that trust.
There are elements to appreciate about the lineup this year. Yves Tumor blends experimental and avant-garde influences. Jordan Ward focuses on soulful R&B. Elyanna brings a modern twist to Arabic music. Weston Estate explores the realms of indie and alternative music.
However, the fact remains that none of them are mainstream pop artists. Considering BCA鈥檚 budget is $300,000, one might anticipate the inclusion of at least one artist with broad appeal.
So why has BCA failed to appeal to the broader Brown community?
One of the root causes of this disconnect may be BCA鈥檚 organizational model. As a organization with an internal recruitment process and just 17 members, BCA risks forming musical and ideological echo chambers. And, in recent years, BCA鈥檚 echo chamber has become increasingly detached from the broader campus community. This trend is especially concerning given that BCA is a university-funded organization whose work impacts almost every student.
It鈥檚 no secret that tensions have flared on campus since Hamas鈥檚 October 7th attacks. BCA鈥檚 failure to appeal to the broader Brown community goes hand-in-hand with its stunning politicization of this year鈥檚 event. The giveaway is not just the presence of Palestinian artist Elyanna, but that BCA鈥檚 graphic features a black, red, white and green design that resembles the Palestinian flag. The design also includes a watermelon 鈥� a symbol of 鈥� and a green-faced figure wearing a white bandana. (For reference, Hamas鈥檚 colors are and Hamas terrorists are known to wear .) Even if such imagery wasn鈥檛 BCA鈥檚 intention, it鈥檚 beyond irresponsible. There鈥檚 no need to elaborate on why it serves to alienate the majority of the Jewish and Israeli communities on campus.
While BCA initially archived its lineup release Instagram post after pushback from the Brown community, it doubled down on its lineup and graphic Tuesday night, denying accusations of antisemitism. Some may interpret this as a diversion from more clear-cut concerns.
BCA it鈥檚 committed to upholding the 鈥渟afety and inclusivity鈥� of Spring Weekend, but it hasn鈥檛 addressed criticism that it politicized this year鈥檚 event with targeted choices that only inflame recent tensions on campus. This approach reflects the same kind of careless decision-making that marred the lineup selection, without any overture to the tastes and interests of the student body at large.
It鈥檚 precisely because of the recent campus atmosphere that many hoped Spring Weekend would be a time to detach from campus tensions, party and celebrate music, as college students do. It could鈥檝e brought the campus together. As a graduating senior, I certainly hoped it would. BCA could鈥檝e tried to maximize student body satisfaction and ensure that all students felt welcome at the festival. Shamefully, BCA prioritized niche tastes and effectively turned Spring Weekend into a pro-Palestine rally at the expense of student enjoyment.
It will take BCA significant reforms to win back student trust with future Spring Weekends. Here鈥檚 how they should begin:
First, BCA needs to turn its recruitment process inside out. Starting next fall, all BCA members should be elected for yearlong terms through a campus-wide voting campaign. Additionally, this democratically elected BCA should further empower students by allowing them to rank potential headliners via a simple voting process. BCA would then consider these student preferences when constructing the lineup.
During the lineup construction process, BCA should prioritize mainstream pop artists. Securing a mainstream artist may consume a significant portion of BCA's budget 鈥� but this would be a worthwhile investment. Students want music they can sing and dance to, songs they know the lyrics and rhythms of. They would favor a lineup featuring one prominent headliner supported by up-and-coming artists rather than a roster of four lesser-known performers.
Finally, BCA members should complete anti-bias training every year. Further, BCA should explicitly enshrine in its bylaws that future Spring Weekend events may not alienate members of certain ethnic, religious, social or political affiliations.
These changes are essential to dismantling BCA鈥檚 existing musical and political echo chamber and ensuring the organization re-aligns itself with the rest of the student body. Given that BCA鈥檚 budget is sourced from the University, it is imperative that the University actively facilitates the transition of BCA鈥檚 board to a more inclusive and representative governance structure.
Spring Weekend鈥檚 legacy as Brown鈥檚 storied, signature celebration weekend depends on it.
Ben Piekarz 鈥�24 can be reached at ben_piekarz@brown.edu. Please send responses to this op-ed to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
