The Caribbean Student Association Carnival has been many things since it first gave birth to one of Binghamton University’s most renowned cultural traditions more than 30 years ago.
Now, as this year’s festival draws nearer, there is one thing Carnival has certainly avoided being: in danger.
Throughout its 30-year history, Carnival has been held in the Mandela Room in the Old University Union, at sites off campus and in the East and West Gyms, and it has featured Caribbean-influenced artists as prominent as Sean Paul.
This year, CSA’s organizers will emphasize Carnival’s more cultural aspects with a steel pan workshop, a poetry and play workshop, a live DJ battle, Caribbean carnival costumes, student performances and catered Caribbean food from Golden Krust.
The major attraction will be Jamaican dancehall artist Elephant Man. The CSA is flying him up from Jamaica specially for the event.
But despite an extensive lineup, the air is bittersweet.
The name of the event will be changed this year to accompany a new identity. What used to be called Carnival is being renamed ‘One Love: Our Redemption Song.’
The title is based on Bob Marley songs, and for Samantha Brown, the public relations representative for CSA, it holds special significance.
‘It’s kind of symbolic of a struggle we’ve been going through,’ said Samantha Brown, a sophomore majoring in psychology.
She was referring to the fact that BU administration had banned Carnival from campus last year, citing concerns about the safety of the event, which had grown to accommodate 2,500 people in its largest year.
‘The decision to place the Saturday night portion of Caribbean Carnival on indefinite hiatus was made after careful review of the history of the event,’ said Brian Rose, vice president for student affairs, when the event was first banned in November 2009.
At the time, Rose said that the size of the event and the percentage of non-student attendees, among other safety concerns, led to the administration’s decision to cancel the event. University officials have confirmed that this decision was also related to activities at spin-off events and after-parties that, though they may not have been sponsored or supported by CSA, happened on Carnival weekend.
That November, CSA held a protest on campus in response to the administration’s actions, but tensions have eased since then.
The University put together a committee to meet with the CSA executive board. The committee included Assistant Chief of Police Tim Faughnan, University Union Director James Koval, Director of Campus Life David Hagerbaumer and Milton Chester, the assistant dean of students and the director of student conduct.
‘It was good once the students finally came to the table,’ Chester said.
Administration now meets with CSA weekly to work together in the planning of the event. Each week there is a new topic ‘ artist booking, equipment setup or safety, for instance. The University has imposed a limit on the number of people that can attend ‘ 1,200 ‘ and has restricted the event to students with a valid college ID. In the past, the event has been open to a broader public.
But despite these constraints, Ruth Jean-Marie, president of CSA, was glad to be meeting with the administration.
‘I am happy that administration is willing to work with us,’ she said. ‘But in the future, I hope it will be restored to what it once was.’
Brown, who, as a sophomore, has never attended Carnival, is nevertheless excited for its return.
‘Our hearts, our dedication, everything goes into this event,’ she said. ‘We have to put forth our best effort. It’s genuine because it’s always been that way. It’s something that we love to do.’
She lamented, however, over the University’s impositions.
‘It’s harder to work with what we have,’ she said. ‘It’s not what I’ve known Carnival to be.’
Hagerbaumer, who is also on the group of administrators that is working with CSA, said the identity of the event has evolved over time.
His first year at BU was also Carnival’s first year.
‘In the earlier years of Carnival, it started as a cultural festival and had continued to be that for most of its existence,’ he said.
He said that in more recent years, as the event had grown larger, it became more difficult to maintain the cultural elements, and that it became more of a concert.
‘There had to be an evaluation of whether it was going to be able to continue and be manageable,’ he said.
This year, the reformed festival will take place in the entire Old Union ‘ from the Susquehanna Room to the Mandela Room to the Undergrounds ‘ from 6 to 11 p.m. on Nov. 20.
Tickets are on sale and cost $25 for BU students and $30 for non-BU students with a college ID. Prices will go up on Nov. 5, however, to $35 for BU students and $45 for other students.
Ed Mays, Student Association vice president for multicultural affairs, plans to use his position to help advocate for CSA with the administration.
‘Once the event is over this year I’m going to sit down with [CSA] and we’re going to try to get Carnival closer to what it used to be,’ he said.
Chester said the administration would be open to discussing further plans.
‘If it goes well, certainly we’ll be willing to talk about things,’ he said. ‘We’re always open to those kinds of things.’
Chester was also enthusiastic about the return of the event.
‘We all want this to happen,’ he said. ‘The students want it to happen, I know I wanted it to happen.’
In an interview in the Pipe Dream office, Brown took a moment to discuss her response to the University’s willingness to let a reincarnated Carnival return to campus.
‘Alright, we’ve got something to work with,’ she said, describing her initial reaction with a heaving exhalation. ‘We can start here and work back up.’