With more events in one week than ever before, Dooley’s Week 2016 is the Student Programming Council’s (SPC) attempt to encompass the Founder’s Day theme of inclusivity on campus. This year Dooley’s Week, entitled Dooleywood, is a play on Hollywood and America’s motion picture industry, according to Goizueta Business School junior and SPC Dooley’s Week Chair Marisa Hann.
“We’re representing all the culture and all the spirit [of Emory] during this one week, which is why we wanted to pick a theme every single person could relate to,” Hann said. “Everyone loves and knows movies, and it’s not specific to one culture or ethnic group, so everyone can have a part.”
Instead of the usual five or six events in previous years, Dooley’s Week this year has almost tripled the number of events, hosting 18 events across campus, some co-sponsored by cultural, artistic or performance student groups. The events include movie showings co-hosted by the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) life on Monday and by the Black Student Alliance (BSA) on Wednesday, performances by dance team AHANA on Monday and Wednesday and cultural event “Noche de Mascaras” with the Latino Student Organization (LSO) on Friday. SPC also showed an advanced screening of The Huntsman: Winter’s War yesterday, April 5.
The events culminate in the three most anticipated performances of the week — record producer and radio personality DJ Khaled at 8 p.m. on Thursday at McDonough Field, comedian Pete Holmes at 7 p.m. on Friday at Glenn Memorial Auditorium and American Electronic Dance Music (EDM) DJ duo The Chainsmokers at 8 p.m. Saturday at McDonough Field.
“[The Chainsmokers] are a top-20 artist, and they fell into our budget,” College junior and SPC President Ria Sabnis said. “I was completely floored when I heard when they were coming.”
Band Party Chairs Max Mayblum and Julia Baker organized the performers coming to Emory and are also excited about the events this year, Mayblum said.
“Our goal is to … one way or the other, bring together every student on campus,” Mayblum said. “[Inclusivity] has been something we always focused on when it came to [the concerts]. So for me, nothing really changed.”
Other events throughout the week have also been planned to emphasize the theme of Dooleywood and the goal of inclusivity, such as the Dooley’s Week kickoff on Monday. For the first time, SPC tried to provide more inclusive food options, such as gluten-free and kosher options in addition to the Chick-fil-A, fondue and Indian food around Asbury Circle.
“This Dooley’s Week is unique because we’re integrating a lot of events,” Sabnis said. She stressed the importance of everyone’s vision on SPC and that all members of the organization had helped bring the event together.
Taste of Emory featured vendors such as Bhojanic, King of Pops, Dragon Bowl and Shake Shack. Thank a Donor Day also took place that day and featured a photo booth and other activities to recognize those who help fund Emory.
Couchella, a new addition to Dooley’s Week, is a music and arts festival intended to highlight student talent in addition to local performers and artists. Sponsored by SPC, The Pulse and TableTalk, the event took place yesterday at 6 p.m. at Asbury Circle and featured three regional headliners — Jessica Caldas, artist, advocate and activist; Steve Roggenbuck, poet and visual artist; and Martin Bell, writer and runner of the Twitter account @postcrunk.
“We like to say that we set the precedent this year for organizations to know that they can reach out to Dooley’s Week chairs and know that it will be an inclusive environment from now on,” Hann said.
Many students agreed that the events offered a change of scenery from their regular days.
“I noticed that there is always something going on, which is nice with our busy schedules,” College freshman Molly Murphy said. “There are always opportunities for anyone.”
College senior Ryan Stevenson agreed that the events are more positive and attractive this year, but he finds SPC’s attempt at inclusivity questionable.
“It’s unfortunate because it’s all Dooleywood-themed, and after the whole Oscars fiasco with [the nominees] being very white, that is kind of a sad irony,” Stevenson said. “Other than that, yeah, they have partnered with a lot of organizations, such as [with TableTalk] and … they’ve done a great job. It’s good to see SPC support other organizations and [be a] co-sponsor.”
Last year, SPC hosted many tropical or beach-themed events for Dooley’s Week, entitled Dooley’s Island, and invited hip-hop artist J. Cole, electro-pop duo The Knocks and comedian John Mulaney. Similarly to last year, SPC will provide buses to the concerts from off-campus housing to ensure that the performance is open to both undergraduate and graduate students, who normally live off campus, Sabnis said. Further details regarding transportation will be posted later in the week.
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