AU's first ever Spring Fling event began last night with a talent show in the Woods-Brown Amphitheater, co-sponsored by Eagle Nights.
Six groups performed in front of nearly 200 students who could then purchase tickets to vote for their favorite groups. All proceeds benefited the newly created Student Media Collective, comprised of The Eagle; The Talon, AU's yearbook; American Word, the online student paper; and American Literary, AU's literary journal.
Carly Lundy, a junior in the School of Communication and director of the week-long Spring Fling, described the talent show as the perfect kickoff for the week, as well as a closing event, since it was also the last Eagle Nights event of the academic year.
"The whole goal of Spring Fling is to bring the campus community together, and this did it," Lundy said.
The night also provided a showcase some of the creative talent AU has to offer.
"It was great to see all the student performing groups come out and showcase their stuff," said Charlie Biscotto, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and Class of 2008 Senator.
The talent show included performances from The Jump-Off Hip-Hop Dance Group, Dime A Dozen, AU in Motion, the Gospel Choir, Treble in Paradise and Mission Improvable.
Prizes were awarded to the top three vote getters. The Gospel Choir took third place, Mission Improvable took second and AU in Motion walked away with first place, and the honor of most popular performing group.
The event promoted interaction between the student body and the campus media, so that "students see that media groups are more than just newspapers and magazines," said Dana Williams-Johnson, assistant director of Student Activities.
Combining the various performances from talent show participants allowed for an even greater level of integration between students.
"People come to support their friends then experience the other groups," Williams-Johnson said.
Tom Lewis, business manager of The Eagle and a senior in the Kogod School of Business, said the media collective was organized so that the different groups could learn to work together to raise money for their respective organizations by attracting business from local stores and companies. Some of these businesses donated money and prizes to the event, including MegaBytes Caf?, Papa John's and Coca-Cola.
"The whole point of the media collective was for the print organizations to come together in support one another. We can't do it alone," said Amanda Ice, a senior in SOC and editor in chief of AmLit. "We're a lot better together than separate."
The event raised $3,560 for the Student Media Collective, according to Lewis, which will be split evenly among the four media groups.
The night was a success, according to Gail Hanson, vice president of Campus Life.
"It's a terrific program," Hanson said. "A gorgeous night to be in the amphitheater"
