Movin

On: From Just an Idea to Just a Dream

On April 27th Jeremy Book and the rest of the Movin On team will start the process
of setting up for one of the top five largest student run music festivals in the country.
Taking place on the Penn State Blue Band fields, this festival is one of the most
anticipated events of the year.

Originally started in 1975, this festivals goal is to bring a free celebration to send off
all students who are Movin On with their lives. In 2010, Movin On joined forces
with four other campus organizations to create one of the largest college music
festivals in the country. Oh, and its completely free.

Movin On combined with the University Park Undergraduate Association, Graduate
and Professional Student Association, Association of Residence Hall Students, and
the Student Programming Association, to work together year round to help create
this Penn State tradition. All four organizations vote for a liaison to sit on the 13
person executive board to help create this event and give their input on what they
think the Penn State student body wants to see at the festival. All of these
organizations receives some amount of funding from every students student
activity fee, which is what funds the festival and allows it to stay a free event.

Becoming a liaison is how junior and now executive director of Movin On, Book got
involved with the event. After serving on the ARHS his freshmen year and
volunteering at the festival that spring, Book applied for the liaison position his
sophomore year and helped facilitate discussions for the 2015 Movin on. Now
executive director, Book is leading the discussion about which artists are thousands
of Penn State students are going to be seeing April 29th.

With previous years acts containing names like Big Sean, Passion Pit, Wiz Khalifa,
Lupe Fiasco, Bowling for Soup, Fall out Boy and many others, this music festival is a
must be at event for Penn State students and music lovers.

Starting in the summer, the executive board, a board made up of 13 people, seven
directors of Movin On, four liaisons from the other organizations and two faculty
advisors, start the grueling process of trying to select artists or acts to come to in the
spring. The executive board combined with the other 75 Movin On team members
really make up the organization and create the event. With a $500,000 budget for
the entire concert, finding someone within that price range is the first goal.

We try to think of people who would be cool for Penn State or who would be a good
fit for a student population. said Executive Director of Movin On Book. Deciding
which artists are coming is one of the most difficult tasks. Its really hard to
facilitate all the different personalities and opinions of the executive board.

But deciding the acts isnt solely the decision of the executive board; the student
body has their input taken into consideration as well. In the beginning of the year
Movin On sends out a survey of acts or artists that could potentially come in the
spring. This years survey got over 44,000 responses, double the amount of
responses the survey got last year.

I think the survey was really helpful. Said Khodr Kobessi a sophomore from
Philadelphia. It allows students to give their input on who they want to see.

With about 46,000 undergraduate students its hard to pick acts that are going to
appeal to everyone, but choosing multiple acts from multiple different genres allows
almost everyone to be satisfied.

Jeremy [Book] is always telling us [the exec board] to leave our music bias at the
door, said Director of Sponsorship and Outreach Alexandra Franklin. Its not
necessarily what we want. Its what the student body wants and I think the survey
really helps show what the student body wants.

After the acts are booked, the executive board and the rest of the Movin On team all
work together to plan the execution of the festival. From announcing the lineup and
advertising the event in the HUB to setting up the fences and generators and stages
on the Thursday before the festival these students are constantly busy. The student
volunteers work all year to make sure the event runs smoothly.

From recording and releasing the lineup video, to planning the lineup celebration in
the HUB with sweets and giveaways to keep people excited about the event. All of
those events in the HUB really help spread the news about the event, said Franklin.
I think it really gets people excited and reminds everyone about what Movin On is.

Im just a volunteer but I love it, said Mimi Whesu. It was really cool to be a part of
the process. I wish we got different headliners personally, but it was fun.

With the weekend approaching, its hard to say how the festival will turn out. All it
would take to make director Book happy is good weather and happy students. The
goal of this festival isnt anything for me, said Book. I want to do this festival
because I want to see the student body happy. Music is so powerful and it brings all
different types of people together and thats what I think the goal of Movin On is.

With Movin On booking bigger and more famous acts its hard to say what is in
store for next years festival. I think it is kind of at a plateau right now. said Book.
It would be difficult to grow in size and allow more people to come because of
safety issues.

I think Movin On is a very underappreciated Penn State tradition. Its 41 years old
and most people dont even know what it is. Its completely run by students. said
Franklin.

This years lineup includes: Cecil Blutcher, Sammy Adams, X Ambassadors,
Misterwives, Nelly and Walk the Moon. Movin On will take place Friday, April 29th
with Cecil Blutcher taking the stage at 3:30 p.m. Its a Penn State tradition students
dont want to miss.


Tweet: Movin On: From Just an Idea to Just a Dream, a look at how this festival is
put together.