After one week of preparation, the university-wide DePauwpalooza will take place this afternoon in hopes of bringing together students from the School of Music and the College of Liberal Arts.
The event will provide free pizza, live music and activities for students in Bowman Park starting today at 4:30 p.m. It was organized in hopes of addressing the student government white paper published last year that sought to create less separation between liberal arts students and music students.
Dean of the School of Music Mark McCoy said the event will begin a process devoted to creating a better sense of understanding between the two colleges.
"It's not a panacea, but it's a good way to start," McCoy said.
Executive Vice President of the student body senior Nic Flores said the event will provide the opportunity for the formation of bonds between students.
"Hopefully that dialogue will be started, hopefully friendships will be had," Flores said. "The student government is just looking to create that space, that environment for those interactions to happen."
Flores said he also hopes the event will create a greater sense of appreciation among college of liberal arts students for the School of Music.
"What I hope students will gain is a better understanding of the people they pass by every day and to be more aware of maybe what the School of Music is doing and has to offer and that that is a space that College of Liberal Arts students are welcome to," Flores said.
McCoy explained a perceived separation between music students and liberal arts college students that he hopes will be alleviated by the event in Bowman Park.
"It's a way to say we'll come out of our ivory tower if you'll come out of your houses and meet us out here," McCoy said. "Let's go make some music here and then let's continue to make music."
McCoy said he hopes that by uniting the two sets of students on the lawn, boundaries established by the Green Center for the Performing Arts can be removed.
"I think people go, ‘That's a pretty building (GCPA), I wonder what goes on in there,' and I hope they come in and find out," McCoy said.
President Brian Casey agreed that many liberal arts college students see the School of Music as separate, and he hopes DePauwpalooza will end that separation.
"I think the idea is that to a lot of liberal arts students a music school can look like it's behind a wall and inaccessible," Casey said. "So is there a way, quickly and in an entertaining way, that we can show people what's happening."
Student Body President senior Charles Pierre said he views the event as a start to further events intended to bring together the schools.
"I think it's great that this is the launching pad for the building of that relationship, and it's going to be mutually beneficial for the students in the School of Music and the students in the College of Liberal Arts," McCoy said.
McCoy, Pierre and Flores said they received positive feedback for the idea, and they said students are looking forward to the event.
"I think it's something that's on people's radar," Flores said. "But just because it's on people's radar doesn't mean they'll come, but we have been reaching out as much as possible."
Pierre said the planners are anticipating a turnout of between 550 and 700 students.
After meeting last Friday, McCoy, Pierre and Flores took immediate action to plan the event. The three attributed the rapid action to schedule conflicts in upcoming weeks and to the growing threat of inclement weather as the semester goes on. McCoy and Pierre smiled and added that the weather for the event is expected to be "perfect."
McCoy said the arrival of Yo-Yo Ma had no effect on scheduling, but provides a good opportunity for students to continue relating through music.
"The fact that it's pre-Yo-Yo helps us say to a lot of people ‘Yo-Yo Ma is coming to town. You've got a great opportunity to catch stuff with that exciting weekend, but also that weekend all of the groups you hear will be playing right around the corner,'" McCoy said.
McCoy said DePauwpalooza will further his plan to unite the community through an appreciation of music and of one another.
"I'm trying not to become the dean of picnics here, but I threw a big party for the School of Music a couple weeks ago when everyone first got here on the lawn," McCoy said. "It was a chance to get together to celebrate the fact that we're a School of Music. So now the next step of the one-two punch is to celebrate that we're a School of Music and a great liberal arts institution."
When asked where the funding for the pizza the event will come from McCoy laughed and said, "We don't know yet."
McCoy said the funding will likely come from Student Government funds and School of Music funds. He said he would find some way to get the money for the event.
Pierre said the event would be worthwhile for students even if the funding came out of the student activities fee.
"I think there's no greater use of the student activities fee than this, because it's for all students," he said. "It's inclusive, it's communal, and it's going to be a really great time."