Mayfest name change has potential for good
This year Mayfest will go by a new name ó SU Showcase. At least, to the university administration it will. Syracuse University sought the name change in order to add a greater focus on academics to the event.
From the view of a national university, changing the official name of Mayfest is a good way for SU to distance itself from the day of partying that occurs on Euclid Avenue. But a new name will do little to stop the momentum behind the party tradition followed by a large number of SU students
This could potentially be a good move to turn the day into a legitimate campus-wide academic event. But SU will have to do more than make a superficial name change to turn the day into a successful academic event. To compete with the day of partying, SU will need to bring in more engaging events, as well as lectures that are noteworthy enough to appeal to the SU community. The big names SU has promised to bring in for SU Showcase have to be huge, otherwise the block party in May will continue to trump its academic counterpart.
