To college students nationwide, spring is often less about April showers and May flowers than it is about hot weather, rock concerts and an abundance of alcohol. And while Green Key weekend may seem a phenomenon unique to Dartmouth, many college campuses across the country celebrated the season's arrival weeks ago.
Most similar to Dartmouth's Green Key weekend is Brown University's Spring Weekend, created in 1950 to replace the school's Junior Promenade. The weekend is now known for a series of concerts; this year, the weekend saw performances by The Roots, The Flaming Lips and Yo La Tengo, among others.
Bacchanal, Columbia University's weekend-long spring celebration, typically features carnival games and athletic competition, as well as a concert on Saturday afternoon. This year, Bacchanal hosted Blackalicious and Del the Funky Homosapien.
At the University of Pennsylvania, the annual Spring Fling took place in mid-April and featured performances by Third Eye Blind and Ben Folds., and tickets to the concert sold out within a day. According to sophomore Naxi Ling, many student groups also perform, including Mask and Wig, an all-male performance group that typically performs last, and naked.
A similar event with the same title is held at Yale University and this year featured performances by Sister Hazel and T.I. However, despite the renown of the bands featured, the main focus of Yale's spring event is the abundance of social gatherings that are held on campus.
"Practically speaking, Spring Fling is really about the parties," sophomore Ben Au said. "It's the only time I've seen alcohol and pot openly used during the day," Au added.
Adhering to the trend of outdoor concerts, Cornell University also hosted T.I., along with T.V. On The Radio, for its annual Slope Day,
"I don't think anyone really remembers the bands," freshman Nick Zhang said. He added that open drunkenness is a staple component of Slope Day.
"It's not so much about spring as it is celebrating the last day of classes," sophomore Kalina Jordanova said.
Spring events are not limited to the Ivy League. Wesleyan University's celebration saw performances by Project Pat and TV On The Radio, as well as a bevy of student bands.
"There were a lot of barbeques, prevalent open drinking -- it was really hot," sophomore Mimi Bai said.
Duke University's Last Day Of Classes celebration, or "LDOC," featured free food and a performance by Jason Mraz.
Connecticut College's Sloralia, which occurred in early May, featured a moon bounce, an inflatable obstacle course and a slip 'n slide, according to sophomore Jenna Ronbeck. The college also invited Jason Mraz and provided students with a free dinner.
On a different note, University of Connecticut's Spring Weekend is known for its "ooze-ball tournament," a day-long volleyball tournament that takes place in mud.
"It's the main event because so many students participate," sophomore Erin Osborn said.
Other activities included karoaoke, dodge ball tournaments and a concert by Dashboard Confessional.
