Madeleine Coles
Life Editor
Spring semester is always rough. The promise of summer being so close and yet so far away makes actually going to class seem so much harder than in the winter. That’s one of the reasons why the Student Activities Board decided to give students something to push them through the last few weeks: Bengchella.
A clever combination of Coachella (the popular music festival) and Bengals, Vice President of ASISU Dezuara Ruiz described the event as “Coachella but Bengalized.”
The event will be happening April 6 and 7 at the Holt Arena at 7:30 p.m. and will feature music from both local artists and ISU students.
“I decided to do Bengchella because I wanted to give students a reason to get involved on campus,” said Jenna Bobroski, the SAB Bengal Pride Chair. “I had to host SpringFest and decided to do two bigger and better days, rather than a week of events that are mediocre.”
Ruiz said Bobroski has been wanting to do the event since the beginning of the year.
“Jenna has always been the type of person that has these grand ideas and pulls them off,” Ruiz said. “It was really interesting to see the concept of Bengchella go from ‘oh we could do this’ to ‘no, we’re actually going to put this on.’”
Ruiz added that the inspiration for the event came from both other universities and a desire to do something for the students.
“One of the recurring things we talked about was that other universities have a spring fest where they bring in huge artists, and it’s kind of a destresser because spring semester is always so busy,” she said. “I think this is a great opportunity to provide fun for students and try something we haven’t really done in the past.”
And the newness of the event has led to a lot of time and preparation. Bobroski said she estimates she has spent over 100 hours working on the event so far.
“It’s been quite a bit of time they’ve put into this project,” Ruiz said, adding that they have also made significant efforts to include the community in the event. “SAB has really been on top of the game with reaching out to the community and striving to make this a community event rather than just an ISU event.”
Bobroski said the event will feature a DJ from Boise as well as student groups such as The Jack Wagon and The Undercover Popstar.
Ruiz and Bobroski both emphasized that the event will be an opportunity students should take advantage of.
“One of the most frustrating things that I hear is that there’s never anything to do. So this event is to celebrate the fact that we’re about to survive this semester, but more importantly, student fees actually fund ASISU and SAB,” Ruiz said. “So all of the events they put on are free because students have already paid for them through fees. Just looking at it logically, why would you not go to an event you helped fund?”
In addition, Ruiz said it can be a defining event for prospective students, as it will be happening during early registration.
“Events like this really enhance the college experience. This is really a way that ISU can showcase all of the things we have to offer for our students,” she said. “For those students who are still on the edge, this could really get them excited for what’s waiting for them.“
Bobroski said students should especially attend the concert series because it may be their only opportunity.
“I would love to see this event happen again in the future,” Bobroski said. “However, with budget cuts and enrollment down, we most likely will not be able to do this event in the future.”
But for now, she’s looking forward to what she calls the event you do not want to miss.
“There will be henna, face painting, life-size bowling, flower crowns, body bumper soccer, tiger stuffing and more,” Bobroski said. “This will be an amazing experience for any and all Bengals to feel connected to ISU.”
