Spirit Fest to replace Madness this year

VCU Student Government Association is making alterations to the annual October pep rally formerly known as Ram Madness. SGA is instead naming it Ram Spirit Fest . at least for now. Ram Spirit Fest will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.

“Ram Madness is a university tradition,” said Kelli Lemon, assistant director for programs and events for the University Student Commons and Activities. “The SGA passed a bill . (stating) that there will always be a kickoff and celebration of men’s and women’s basketball.” The celebration usually coincides with the men’s and women’s basketball teams opening up preseason practices.

But, because of scheduling conflicts, men’s basketball will not participate this year.

“It was a calendar issue and nothing else,” said Mike Harris, assistant athletic director for athletic communications. “There’s no dissatisfaction with the event, there’s no ‘we don’t want to do that anymore,’ none of that.”

The men’s basketball coaching staff made the decision not to participate after trying to find a suitable time. The team, though, wasn’t kept in the loop.

Ram Madness tentatively was scheduled for Friday, Oct.17. When that date first was penciled in, volleyball, and men’s and women’s basketball – the traditional participants – were all committed. The date falls during Monroe Park campus’ reading days, which was later brought to the attention of SGA.

According to Lemon, spending activities funds on events during reading days is against university policy. Plan B was to push Madness back a week.

“We wanted it to be Friday, the 24th (of October),” Lemon said. “Traditionally, for the last two years, we’ve done it in conjunction with volleyball. There was one (volleyball game) scheduled for the 24th, so it fit perfectly. Volleyball also arranged their schedule so they could be involved with it (Ram Madness).”

The only problem was men’s basketball already was scheduled for that date.

“Everything from the start of preseason through the start of the season is on a very tight schedule,” Harris said.
SGA debated the issue and decided to cancel Ram Madness. Lemon says about $18,000 of student activity funds is allocated to Ram Madness. One thousand T-shirts are printed at about $8 a shirt, and the first 1,000 students to walk through the Siegel Center doors for Ram Madness receive free food.

Other prizes include free tuition, parking and electronics. However, no event means no funding.

“It is required that the money be spent on that event, a similar event or the money goes back to the general SGA body pool for redistribution for other student organizations,” Lemon said.

The funding for Ram Spirit Fest is packaged in the university budget with $12,000 that is spent by VCU on student tickets to the CAA men’s basketball tournament in March. The costs of Ram Spirit Fest and CAA Tournament tickets are calculated as one number in the budget. One element cannot be deducted without forfeiting all of the $30,000.

“What needs to be understood is that when there was a conversation about really not doing anything (for Ram Madness), all of that money was going away,” Lemon said. “The ticket money was going away along with the Ram Madness money.”

Lemon says loss of funds SGA decided to put together Ram Spirit Fest. The event will appear nearly the same as Ram Madness as far as giveaways and athletic participation, minus men’s basketball. Though the men’s basketball team will not be present, every athletic team will be invited to attend.

Lemon, other faculty and graduate assistants used to plan Ram Madness. Ram Spirit Fest will have a different, behind-the-scenes approach.

“I’ve got a list of 20 students and I’m sitting back, and I’m going to let them plan it (Spirit Fest) from start to finish,” Lemon said. “It’s because we’re changing the way that we’re doing it, but more importantly, it’s student money.” The first organizational meeting by students took place Oct. 6.

No decision has been made whether Ram Spirit Fest will become the new standard, or if Ram Madness will return next year.