Organizers are calling the Student Programming Council Spring Thing, which featured a free concert by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, a success, despite early morning anxieties over bad weather and a smaller than expected turnout.

This was a success without a doubt, said SPC member Andrew Daly, one of the people responsible for organizing the event. There were no arrests, no problems whatsoever.

SIUC Police also reported there were no problems as far as the they were concerned.

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We had no arrests or any alcohol-related violations today, Lt. Andrew Smith said Saturday. The crowd was real friendly and well-behaved, and we are real pleased with how the event went.

Student Development Director Nancy Hunter-Pei said she was very pleased with the way the day went.

I thought it was a great day, Pei said. The students worked really hard and everyone was real cooperative.

Early morning showers and strong winds throughout the day created some problems for the volunteers and staff that worked to keep the show running smoothly. Several volunteers arrived at McAndrew Stadium at 5:30 a.m. to begin the final preparations for the show.

There were problems keeping the tarp, used to cover the stadium field, from blowing around in the high winds. Volunteer workers stood on the tarp to hold it down while others used duct tape reinforce the seams.

Though some officials expected crowds of 20,000, about 9,000 people passed through the gates at McAndrew Stadium Saturday to see the show. Daly said he believes the early morning showers may have affected turnout.

The general feeling in the air was very friendly and relaxed throughout the concert. The event had the diverse crowd that had been anticipated, Daly said.

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When the show was over Daly and his co-organizer SPC member Jason Bolden both were very pleased.

This was awesome, Bolden said. I’ve been waiting for this for as long as I have been here.

It shows that the students deserve a second chance. The students need this, deserved this and it was long overdue.

Daly said the event would not have been possible without the support of a lot of people. The SIUC Police and the student volunteers worked throughout the day. Workers from the Physical Plant also helped out. On Friday, a group of students from Alpha Tau Omega worked for about six hours to put up the stage for the show. Several organizations on campus and throughout the area donated money to help finance the event.

Student Development staff members attributed much of the success of the show to Daly and Bolden.

These students are absolutely amazing, said Beth Lindgren of Student Development. Without Andrew and Jason’s perseverance this never would have happened.

They did this for the students, that was their main goal.

Both Bolden and Daly said they would like to see the Spring Thing become and annual event and think the success of the event Saturday will help future events on campus.

Next year, we won’t have so many obstacles to overcome, Bolden said. In the future, this should be any easy decision for the students and the administration.