By Melissa Prentice
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Organizers have started planning for the largest student-run carnival in the country and need more volunteers to get involved.
Although Spring Fling is not until April, many people are already working behind the scenes and applications are currently being accepted for about 180 additional volunteers, said director Gary Randazzo. Positions are available in security, marketing, graphics, business, accounting and entertainment fields of the event, he said.
Applications are available in the Associated Students office and are due the first week of October, he said. Applicants will then be interviewed.
"Spring Fling is an opportunity to practice the skills we learn in the classroom in a real-life situation," he said. Randazzo also said he is trying to convince professors of this and encourage qualified applicants to apply. A related major and experience with Spring Fling or ASUA activities are recommended, Randazzo said. Applicants should be able to commit four hours per week for the rest of the year, he said.
Spring Fling organizers plan to spend this semester trying to solve problems that have occurred in the past and planning various aspects of the event, Randazzo said.
During the past five years, local neighborhood associations have suggested that Spring Fling should be moved to an off-campus locations such as El Con Mall or the Pima County Fairgrounds, Randazzo said. He said although the association's suggestions were considered, none of them seemed possible.
Randazzo said he was told the associations had dropped their appeals this year because Spring Fling organizers dealt with many of the concerns satisfactorily in the past few years, he said.
Dan Lynch, the previous president of the Sam Hughes Neighborhood Association, sent a letter to UA President Manuel Pacheco stating the problems regarding Spring Fling were not as severe as in the past and the the association no longer had a problem with the carnival, said Belinda Flemming, UA Neighborhood Relations Coordinator.
"In the last few years we've picked up the clean-up and have worked with the ride companies to diminish noise and shut down at certain hours. Parking has also gotten a lot better," he said.
Organizers are also currently working with Tucson-area school districts to plan a more popular Family Day this year, Randazzo said. A major attraction of the day will be an art contest and prizes for the participants from various schools, he said.
"Instead of just calling it family day, we want there to be actual families there," he said.