Last Thursday, USGA elections wrapped up and the email was sent out announcing next year’s president, Scott Kazar, treasurer, Danielle Palladino, and eighteen senators. Those who didn’t win bowed out graciously, and as you can see in this issue, Tim Farmer even wrote a concession letter; what a great guy! Unfortunately however, not everyone keeps their heads on straight when competition of any kind is going on, and while the folks who were actually running did just fine, some onlookers took it upon themselves to be a little less cordial during the elections. This isn’t the only time lately that people have been a bit poor at handling themselves; before SCOPE even got a chance to announce the Spring Concert bands, Facebook was haven to people complaining and ranting! I think a new rule should be made; don’t say things or post things online that attack other people, that don’t match the facts, or that are purely unjustified.

While negative campaigns are used in the “real” world, I felt that I could rest assured that people would have the sense to avoid telling others to not to vote for someone, rather than saying to vote for their preferred candidate. I was wrong to assume, as it seems that a group of people, albeit a small one, did not get that memo. It’s entirely unnecessary, and in the case of UNH USGA elections, completely useless since I doubt anyone’s mind was actually changed by negativity.

Every year, SCOPE puts on Spring Weekend, a key component of which is Spring Concert. Freshman year, I was excited to see Third Eye Blind and relive some 90’s memories, and sophomore year, while I didn’t really care for any of the groups (Travie McCoy, 3OH3!, and Cobra Starship), I decided to enjoy the concert a different way, by getting involved with setup, security, and breakdown.

Every year, some people complain about who SCOPE gets for Spring Concert, but this year a rumor spread before they even had a date for the release party. I have NO idea who is coming for Spring Concert, and no one has told me one way or another whether the rumor was true or false, but I don’t think that really matters. SCOPE as a whole, and the Chair and two Assistant Chairs put a lot of work into everything they do, and for a large number of people to become adamant because of a rumor is unacceptable. Their choice is made with the help of the online survey of preferred genres, and based on those results, artists are booked. If you don’t like the end result, try to find a way to be productive and have fun with Spring Concert by volunteering rather than just complaining.

Now that that’s out of the way, I hope too see all of you at the SCOPE Spring Concert release party this Thursday, April 7 at 6:00 p.m. in the Bartels Programming Space. Just do us all a favor and don’t be bitter if your all time favorite artist isn’t performing; Spring Weekend is about all UNH students, not just you.