LC should reallocate funding, revive decommissioned events

Reed College is notorious for its wild Renaissance Fair known as “Renn Fayre” which features burning senior thesis notes to having relay races with students running naked and covered in blue paint. Yet many do not know that Lewis & Clark also used to have a Renaissance Fair, albeit less over-the-top than Reed’s, which was unfortunately discontinued in the ’80s. 

While the Renaissance Fair may be a costly event, the administration should consider bringing it back, along with other past events such as the Food Truck nights.

Although LC hosts other events like the International Fair and a myriad of symposiums, they are mostly academic-focused with the purpose of educating students on topics like race, gender and politics. Besides these events, LC’s offerings include the Fall Ball and Spring Fling, as well as more minor activities like game nights, parties and activity or craft nights, often put on by student organizations. 

Despite these efforts, Fall Ball and Spring Fling are the most well-known events for student amusement, while club-level activities are often overlooked. Other major events are usually exclusive to staff, alumni, donors, student unions or for incoming new students like New Student Orientation (NSO).  

While I usually enjoy both Fall Ball and Spring Fling, they are not entirely different from the fun events I went to at my elementary, middle and high schools. Fall Ball acts more like a traditional high school prom, while Spring Fling varies from a carnival to a dance. 

By contrast, Renaissance fairs are a more unique experience. They will usually have food and drink stands, fashion shows and Live Action Role Playing. Most participants would wear costumes, from just a simple cloak to cosplaying mythical creatures like elves or fairies. If LC were to bring back the Renaissance Fair, it may require budget cuts to other events or even eliminating them entirely to reallocate their limited budget. 

I would not support eliminating the Fall Ball, Spring Fling, International Week or the academic symposiums just to bring back the Renaissance Fair, as they are too iconic or important to our school. However, I will support eliminating or making cuts to more minor events to fund the Fair.

Although having the Renaissance Fair would be fun, it should not be the only activity LC should bring back. 

I remember during the fall semester of last year when the ASB ordered a food truck to come on campus every other Friday evening as an alternative to the Trail Room, which was closed multiple nights a week as construction on Fowler Student Center was wrapping up. 

Each of these nights had a different food truck, serving various cuisines from Mediterranean to Polynesian dishes. 

Since I am not the biggest fan of Bon food, I was delighted to have something different for the Friday evenings. The only negative was that the lines to the food trucks were very long. Still, trying new cuisines from some of Portland’s best food trucks made the wait well worth it.

Unfortunately, ASB discontinued ordering the food trucks the following spring semester when the Troom became fully operational. While it may have been costly to order a food truck every Friday evening, I would be delighted if ASB brought them back, even just once every two weeks or every month. 

Overall, I think LC should bring back the Renaissance Fair, even if it may be expensive and require scaling back other events. Furthermore, I also think the Friday night food trucks should come back. Both events could bring students and staff together to enjoy a day or evening where they can dress up, do fun activities and try out exciting new cuisines.