Not only is this semester’s lineup being released extremely late, just two weeks before the show, but it also consists of artists who are far from popular on campus. These failures aren’t a recent development—they’re symptomatic of a small, student-run organization with neither the resources nor the capability to produce out a great W.I.L.D. lineup. In light of this, we believe that Team 31 (in its current state) needs to go.

W.I.L.D. is a concert run largely by students, for students. Of course, no lineup has ever, or will ever, truly satisfy the tastes of everyone on this campus, and Team 31 does its best to accommodate as many tastes as possible. Nevertheless, Team 31’s choices have come up short in recent years—from Method Man and Redman’s lukewarm reception (even the artists themselves noticed) to just 50 percent of Major Lazer performing before Wale. This is not to say that Team 31 is doing a poor job or that they are deliberately ruining W.I.L.D. for everyone. Rather, W.I.L.D. is a gigantic event, financially and logistically, and expecting a double-digit student group to make the whole thing happen is just too much.

Given that W.I.L.D. is undeniably the biggest, and most hyped, event on campus, it is surprising that so little student input is involved. Although the Social Programming Board, a group made up of one representative from Team 31, one from the Gargoyle, one from CPC, two Student Union representatives and three students, does need to approve a list of artists, we believe the process should be more transparent. Any other student group wishing to bring a speaker to campus has to receive authorization from SU. W.I.L.D. is a larger-than-average event attended by a much greater portion of the student body; yet, the average student has little say in the artists.

It would make far more sense for the students to actively choose their own headliners, and this would ensure that students are actually getting the acts they want. Having direct student input does risk diluting the hype surrounding the concert, but W.I.L.D. hardly needs additional hype and most go to the concert regardless. The system implemented by CS40 last year to plan WUStock has so far yielded big-name artists that are generally popular on campus.

This is not to say that we must axe Team 31 altogether—the group’s primary purpose could instead be to assemble a slate of potential artists for all students to vote on. In light of the change in W.I.L.D.’s schedule, this would be a perfect way to avoid the last-minute rush by assembling a slate before students leave for the summer. And in a sense, this is partially what Team 31 currently does. Having more student input on major decisions is always a good thing, and with an event as big as W.I.L.D., such input is crucial.

Ultimately, Team 31 is superfluous—and in an effort to maintain hype, the organization’s existence has sacrificed making W.I.L.D. the student concert that it should be.

Student input is vital and Team 31’s structure specifically excludes such input from having an effect on W.I.L.D.’s lineup.

While most students will spend W.I.L.D. in a drunken stupor, the quality of the acts, especially given the amount of money spent, should be the highest priority.

But now, some students are worried that the date of W.I.L.D., Friday, Sept. 16, could contribute to even more injuries.

This is an earlier date than in recent years, raising concerns over whether incoming freshman will have time to learn their personal alcohol limits, something that has continually presented problems on the day of W.I.L.D.

“Having W.I.L.D. so close to the beginning of the semester might lead freshmen to learn very quickly what they can—and can’t—handle,” sophomore Luis Rivera said. “The first-aid tent should have its work cut out for them.”

Others disagree. Sophomore WUSA Michelle Hall believes that freshmen will have enough time to adjust to the college environment of alcohol consumption.

“Rock the Row is still two weeks earlier than W.I.L.D., so they still have a few weekends to learn what is ‘too much’,” said Hall.

The administration and members of Team 31 choose the date of W.I.L.D. collaboratively.

Carnaghi said that the date of Sept. 16 is the earliest date the administration would allow for W.I.L.D. to take place, to assure that freshmen RAs have adequate time to hold programs on responsible drinking and alcohol abuse for their residents.

According to Assistant Vice Chancellor Jill Carnaghi, the administration provides Team 31 with several acceptable dates.

“Getting a band to perform outside on a college campus isn’t easy, so we try to give Team 31 and the booking agent some leeway,” Carnaghi said.

The earlier date, Carnaghi said, was chosen to best accommodate students’ needs, taking into account conflicts like the Jewish High Holy Days and fall events on the academic calendar, such as Parents’ Weekend.

“We work to be sensitive to the students’ needs,” she said.

The event has been held in October annually since 2007. However, according to Carnaghi and Team 31 president, junior Alex Levitt, in earlier years the event was always held in September.

“Originally, it was always in September,” Carnaghi said. “Students were actually very upset when they changed it to October.”

This year, W.I.L.D. will conflict with the annual Balloon Glow in Forest Park, a St. Louis tradition, and Dayglow, a popular “paint party,” that will be held at the Pageant.

“There are conflicts, but we think people love W.I.L.D.,” Levitt said. “If they want to be there, they’ll show up.”

Carnaghi says that these sort of conflicts are unavoidable.

“That’s the challenge we get into for all of fall semester with various activities on and off campus,” Carnaghi said. “We would never find a date if we waited for nothing to be happening anywhere.”

W.I.L.D., or Walk In Lay Down, a concert that takes place once a semester, is earlier this year than in the past. The fall concert has been in October every year since 2007, when it was scheduled for September 29.

Past W.I.L.D. headliners include Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Wale, Major Lazer, the Cold War Kids and the Black Keys.

Team 31, the group that organizes W.I.L.D., will announce the headliner at CPC happy hour on September 1.

This year, the concert will be on the same day as Balloon Glow, a St. Louis tradition that brings hundreds of people to Forest Park to watch 70 hot air balloons inflate in preparation for the Great Balloon Race the next day.

“I want to create a book that gives a comprehensive, personal look into life at Wash. U.,” Portera said. “Something you can’t get from a ranking, an interview, a Web site or another book like College Prowler. I’ve always felt that the impression prospective students inherit from the University is incomplete. I think the standard weekend visit, tour and information session provide such a narrow glimpse of what Wash. U. is actually like. It is a heavily filtered version of Wash. U., which I personally found underwhelming.”

But while Portera wrote the guide primarily with prospective students in mind, he says that his intended audience is anyone with an interest in the University community, including current students, faculty and alumni.

“There is a lot to the University that you can’t find out from the school, and a lot that many students never find out in their four years at Wash. U.,” Portera said.

In order to compile as comprehensive a guide as possible, Portera has reached out to more than 100 students, including fraternity presidents, Student Union representatives and student group leaders.

“All of the people I invited to contribute were student leaders or an expert on whatever topic I asked them to write about,” Portera said. “This is a book put together by students for students.”

One of the students who wrote an article for the guide is former Team 31 co-chair junior Ross Festenstein, who thinks it contains valuable information.

“Everyone kind of has their preconceptions about [student groups’] projects and it’s a good way to let [student groups] speak for themselves and get their word out about themselves,” Portera said. “I don’t think it’s going to be an issue about overinflating your actual importance. I think it’s going to be more about a true and honest look at what these groups think of themselves and how they contribute to campus.”

Festenstein appreciated the opportunity to write an article for the guide in order to fill what he calls the “information gap” between what goes on behind the scenes and before the show at W.I.L.D. He said that many students just perceived Team 31 as announcing headlines and filling the Quad when there was so much work that students didn’t see.

“I have a lot of friends who year after year, initially doubt the lineup and think, ‘Oh, I don’t really know that second act.’ Then they come back to me, as with Passion Pit, B.o.B. and K’Naan and say, ‘Dude, I love them now,’” Festenstein said. “You shouldn’t have a preconception of W.I.LD. I want people to be optimistic. It’s much easier to rain on someone’s parade. It’s much easier to give a critique than to give support. The book overall makes students give support for each other.”

While the final title of the book is still undecided, Portera is avoiding the use of the name Wash. U. or Washington University in order to avoid copyright concerns that plagued Woocourses.com earlier this year. Porter expects the word “bear” to be in the title. The book is expected to be in print by mid-to-late May.

Method Man, half of the Method Man-Redman duo, raps during their headlining performance. (Princeton Hynes | Student Life)

Sounds of laughter and chatter drifted through the Brookings Quad along with the mingled smell of pizza, beer and smoke. Hands waved in the air and bodies swayed against each other while the music flowed on.

There goes another Walk In Lay Down (W.I.L.D.).

With Method Man and Redman as the headliner preceded by K’Naan and Passion Pit, Team 31 Productions did not disappoint its audience in this fall’s W.I.L.D.

Senior David Schubert, co-chair of Team 31, knows there is always one reliable measure he can count on to gauge student satisfaction and event success.

“We were out of pizza, so the turnout had to be good,” Schubert said.

Many students crowded around the stage to position themselves closer to the music and excitement of the concert.

Indie-electronic musicians Passion Pit, an opening act, take the stage at W.I.L.D. (Joshua Goldman | Student Life)

“I liked Passion Pit the most,” junior Ian Chui said. “I really like Passion Pit.”

Sophomore Michael Offerman echoed Chui’s appreciation for the opening alternative band.

“I think Passion Pit was the most well known and probably should have been the headliner,” he said. “Method Man and Redman—not many people knew their lyrics, but they were a good combo.”

Freshman Michaela Sass commented on the liveliness of the acts and the concert atmosphere.

“[The performers] were very energetic and engaging,” Sass said. “It was crowded and pretty intense and confusing—but fun. It was a lot of fun.”

W.I.L.D. with a political twist

Though most of the concert carried on as it would in the past, this fall’s W.I.L.D. started on a very different note.

Minutes before K’naan’s performance, a new kind of presence took the stage and demanded everyone’s attention.

Junior Alex Greenberg ran to the stage, grabbed the microphone and identified himself as a straight male and a member of Sigma Epsilon fraternity. For the next four minutes that followed, Greenberg introduced the Right Side of History—an organized effort supported by several University undergraduates to recharge the LGBT movement by garnering support from straight youths.

Greenberg spoke of his friend, senior David Dresner—one of the two founders of the Right Side of History. Dresner along with 2008 alum Brian Elliot, both of whom are openly gay, started the organization with the hope that it will one day become a national movement.

Dresner said he is glad Greenberg was the one to deliver the message.

“I think that having Alex deliver the message maintains the narrative that we’re using to garner support from straight people,” Dresner said. “He is close with me, and personally vocalized in the past his concern for my future. It was touching that [he] did that for me.”

A crowd of students cheer and dance as they listen to opening act K’Naan at W.I.L.D. in Brookings Quad on Saturday. (Princeton Hynes | Student Life)

Greenberg’s speech drew mostly positive cheers from the crowd. Many students clapped to acknowledge the group’s mission, while others remained more reserved while processing the message.

“Starting at Wash. U. in this quad at W.I.L.D. begins the trek to the Right Side of History,” Greenberg cried out to the audience. “It is not an event. It is not a student club. It is nothing of the sort. It is strictly a civil rights movement that all of you are very welcome to be a part of.”

Since the announcement at W.I.L.D. and an article focusing on The Right Side of History published in Student Life last Friday, Dresner said his inbox has been flooded with e-mails.

“There’s an unbelievable number of alumni and students who are interested. We’re building infrastructure as it grows,” he said. “We will continue to reach out at Wash. U. while reaching out to other universities in the country.”

Team 31 approved of the stage time that the Right Side of History had requested—a decision that Schubert deemed “just seemed right.”

“Honestly, it’s not a perfect venue, but it’s the only large-scale venue at the University to give a speech like that,” he said. “We did think about the appropriateness, but we knew it would be a good chance for them. We are all really supportive of the group and its mission.”

“We wanted to help them in whatever way we could,” Schubert added.

Team 31, however, is not making any promises to give other social issues stage time in future shows.

“We didn’t want to politicize W.I.L.D.,” Schubert said. “The Right Side of History was a group that had reached out to us. They had a great agenda, a pretty clear-cut message and an idea of how we could help them.”

For Dresner, there was no better place or time to deliver the message of activism.

“The noble energy complements the fun, cohesive message of W.I.L.D.,” he said. “At the end of the day, there aren’t that many times when all of Wash. U. gets together. We had the opportunity, and we seized the day.”

For full coverage of the W.I.L.D announcement, click here.

The announcement took place at a happy hour event late Thursday afternoon. Hosted by Team 31 and the Campus Programming Council (CPC), the gathering drew more than 200 students and filled Bowles Plaza to the brim.

Free pizza, buffalo wings, cake, drinks and an ice cream truck parked outside the Danforth University Center provided plenty of food and fun before a Team 31 member picked up the mic to announce the lineup.

The crowd cheered after each artist’s name was called out.

Minutes before the announcement, Team 31 Co-Chair Ross Festenstein hung up a poster announcing the lineup on the side of the ice cream truck. Back in the Plaza, the music of Passion Pit played in the background.

Visiting professor to lecture on Jewish music

Israeli musicologist and pianist will lecture at Washington University on Sept. 2 in a presentation titled “Embattled Israeliness, Embedded Jewishness: Jewish Influences on Israeli Music.”

According to an article published in The Record, Assaf Shelleg “will discuss moments in Israeli history in which Jewish music penetrated the newly invented Israeli nationalist and art music.”

Formerly a professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Shelleg is the Efroymson Visiting Israeli Scholar this year. His lecture corresponds to a course that he will teach this fall called “Musica Ebraica: Jewish Identities in Western Music from 1600 to the 21st Century.” The course looks at the music of the Western world from the 17th century to the 21st century through the scope of music that was written for and by Jews.

Free and open to the public, the lecture is sponsored by the Jewish, Islamic and Near Eastern Studies program in Arts & Sciences. For more information, contact Stephen Scordias at 314-935-8567. (David Messenger)

SU approves $15,000 for Team 31

On Sunday night, the seven members of the Student Union Executive Council unanimously voted to give an additional $15,000 to Team 31 for purposes of finding talent for the upcoming fall W.I.L.D. This increases Team 31’s initial allocation to find talent from $55,000 to $70,000. Team 31 has a total budget of $139,030.00.  According to the Student Union Web site, the Executive Council decided to grant Team 31 this additional money since many students felt that more money should have been allotted to Team 31 at the 2009-2010 General Budget meeting last April. There is $15,000 remaining in the Executive Appeals account. (Perry Stein)

National

Flames flare in Los Angeles area

The mountains north of Los Angeles are being ravished by a quickly growing wildfire, which has quadrupled in size since last Friday. Thousands of acres have been burned, and 10,000 homes are in danger of being burned. Already, 35,000 acres of underbrush have burned.

The magnitude of the fire is increasing due to the high temperatures, topping out at more than 100 degrees in parts of Los Angeles, and low humidity. The area has been largely untouched by fire for the last 50 years.

This particular blaze is referred to as the station fire and is one in a group of fires that has been plaguing southern and central California.
Though no casualties have been reported, there have been three burn-related injuries and one case of smoke inhalation. (Chloe Rosenberg)

Robocalls banned by FTC

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced a ban on pre-recorded commercial calls from telemarketers known as robocalls. The ban takes effect on Sept. 1.

Regulators are threatening a fine of $16,000 per message for telemarketing companies that violate the decision.

Under the previous system, robocalls were required to give people an opt-out opportunity should they not want to receive future calls. Public service announcements and other informational calls not intended to sell goods will be exempt from the ban. The new ban is a component of amendments to the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule, which took effect a year ago. Calls not covered by the ban include those from charities, banks, insurers, phone companies, survey calls and certain health care messages such as prescription notifications.

Since the FTC announced its decision, telemarketing companies have begun to phase out automated calls and have reverted to having live people make calls. Though a great variety of robocalls will continue to be permitted, telephone users can continue to register their phone number with the National Do-Not-Call Registry, a government-sponsored national database that collects the phone numbers of people who do not wish to continue receiving telemarketing calls. (David Messenger)

International

Democratic party of Japan wins elections

Japan’s ruling conservative party suffered a drastic defeat on Sunday as voters overwhelmingly elected a leftist opposition group that promises to reinvigorate the Japanese economy and give energy to a country after 54 years of single-party rule.

The opposition Democratic Party of Japan is set to gain 300 out of the 480 seats in the Japanese parliament. This election forced the Liberal Democrats, who had ruled Japan for all but 11 months since 1955, out of power.

Voting closed on Sunday night. Despite weather forecasts predicting the approach of a typhoon, voter turnout was high. The high turnout is indicative of a Japanese electorate interested in turning the tide of Japanese politics.

The Liberal Democrats’ loss opens the way for the Democratic Party of Japan, removing Prime Minister Taro Aso from power and establishing a brand new cabinet, which could happen in the next few weeks.

According to a statement issued by the Democratic Party of Japan, “the ruling party has betrayed the people over the past four years, driving the economy to the edge of a cliff, building up more than 6 trillion yen ($64.1 billion) in public debt, wasting money, ruining our social security net and widening the gap between the rich and poor.”

The Democratic Party also stated that they will make Japan’s diplomacy centered less on the U.S. But Yukio Hatoyama, who heads the party, assures he will not pursue change in Japan’s foreign policy, saying the U.S. and Japan relationship will “continue to be the cornerstone of Japanese diplomatic policy.” (David Messenger)

Waves of Washington University students flocked to Brookings Quadrangle Friday evening to enjoy the warm weather and the spring Walk In Lay Down concert put on by Team 31 Productions.

This semester’s Walk In Lay Down (W.I.L.D.) lineup featured Filligar, B.o.B, the Cool Kids and the headlining act, The Black Keys.

The main stage concert was preceded by Second Stage, which took place in Bowles Plaza from noon until 2:30 p.m. Second Stage featured the student bands The Odd Couple, The Jonny Friedman Orchestra, Best Face Forward, Potluck Dinner and The Jack and Jills.

According to members of the Team 31 executive board, the concert ran smoothly and was a success.

“I thought it was great. It was a good variety of different musical styles. It had something for everybody. It was well done and had high-quality acts,” said freshman Zack Whitacre, an executive board member.

Reactions from students echoed Whitacre’s statement.

“It was definitely favorable to last years’ [concert],” sophomore Becca Dirks said. “I enjoyed the music. I didn’t think I’d like the Cool Kids, but I did.”

According to Whitacre, many students who were unfamiliar with the bands still came out of W.I.L.D. pleased with the performances.

“People were surprised by how good Filligar was,” Whitacre said.

Some students, however, said that this semester’s W.I.L.D. acts were not as enjoyable as past years’ performances.

“I was disappointed that I didn’t know the acts performing, while during my four years here there have been bands that I knew,” senior Archana Varma said. “I was less invested in what was going on, which is why me and a couple people I was with left early.”

“The bands were pretty bad,” freshman Mariana Oliver said. “I think they could have gotten better bands for sure.”

On April 12, Team 31 announced that Kid Cudi, who was in the original spring lineup, canceled as a result of unforeseen circumstances. Kid Cudi was quickly replaced by Atlanta-based B.o.B.

Some students expressed disappointment with B.o.B’s performance at the concert.

“I didn’t like B.o.B. at all,” freshman Lian States said. “I thought it was kind of gross.”

A few students said they believe that a number of people decided not to go to W.I.L.D. due to Kid Cudi’s absence.

“[Kid Cudi] was the only person that I knew, and I know that it wasn’t anyone’s fault, but I know a lot of people were really disappointed about that. That’s who they were looking forward to seeing,” junior Michelle Bernard said. “I think it might have just [influenced lower turnout rates], because I think people didn’t really know what was going on.”

Team 31 said it is working on bringing Kid Cudi to campus for next fall’s W.I.L.D. lineup.

Whitacre said, however, that the turnout was great from the perspective of those on the stage.

“The turnout exceeded expectations,” he said. “I’ve never seen the whole concert from backstage. Being able to look over the entire crowd, it looked like there were a lot of people.”

For senior Sean Flanagan, this spring’s W.I.L.D. was not as exciting as those in previous years.

“It was more laid back. It was low-key,” he said.

Despite students’ mixed reviews about the performances, the greater supply of food at this year’s concert seems to have met demands, unlike at past W.I.L.D. concerts.

“I’m really glad they had free food there, because people wouldn’t have been eating otherwise,” Varma said.

While most students who attended W.I.L.D. were pleased with the event overall, Team 31 recognizes that not every concert will appeal to every single person who goes.

“I think it depends on what your personal needs are as a music fan,” Whitacre said. “The fall was pretty much all focused on rap and hip-hop, and if that’s your thing, the fall is better. If you have a mixed musical taste, the spring W.I.L.D. is better.”

Fall W.I.L.D. featured Talib Kweli, David Banner and Little Brother, backed by the Rhythm Roots Allstars.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of freshman Zack Whitacre as Zach Whitacre. Student Life regrets the error.

Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 17. The Black Keys are the headliner band at this year's Spring W.I.L.D. (Mick Orlosky | Via Flickr)

Team 31 will present The Black Keys as its headliner act and Filligar, B.o.B and the Cool Kids in this year’s spring Walk In Lay Down concert today.

Junior David Schubert, Team 31 co-chair, said that while the performers for Walk In Lay Down (W.I.L.D.)  for the past fall were booked under the Hip Hop Live! tour, the acts in this semester’s W.I.L.D. do not have a similar affiliation, as Team 31 selected the performers to appeal to multiple musical preferences.

“People who have been talking to me when I’m selling T-shirts seem very excited. I think that we brought a diverse lineup, so people in the past who have not liked the artists [will] like this show,” Schubert said. “There’s not going to be any one act that’s going to please the entire student body. I feel like a lot of people who haven’t liked past acts are going to like the Black Keys.”

The performer B.o.B was added to the lineup late to replace Kid Cudi, who cancelled due to a conflicting engagement with his record label.

“I think students were disappointed, as were we, but B.o.B, or Bobby Ray, is also a really exciting up-and-coming artist. He’s been getting a lot of press recently. He’s very talented,” Schubert said. “I feel like he’s going to be big in the coming years as well. He was a logical replacement—he had been on our list along with Kid Cudi for the entire process of booking artists.”

Freshman Michael Offerman said he is excited to see B.o.B, though he acknowledges that the artist is not very well known among students.

“I knew [B.o.B’s] one song,” Offerman said, referring to the song “I’ll Be in the Sky.” “That’s the only song I really know and I’m looking forward to. I have really no reason to stick around after that.”

Schubert said he believes the change to B.o.B in the lineup has been a success.

“The lineups are always somewhat fluid,” he said. “There’s no hard feelings on our end.”

According to Schubert, he and fellow Team 31 Co-chair Ross Festenstein, a sophomore, review student suggestions for artists and determine which ones are possible based on cost and scheduling.

“We considered a lot of different artists. We considered a lot of different directions we could take the music,” Schubert said. “The Black Keys were one of our top choices from the beginning. I’ve seen them before. Their live show is fantastic. I feel like students who haven’t heard of them before will really enjoy it.”

Junior Nadia Mann said she had not heard of The Black Keys before the band was announced for spring W.I.L.D., but she is still looking forward to hearing them.

“I like the mix between things that I do know sometimes and things that I don’t, because I like to learn about the new music,” Mann said.

“It’s rock with a blues influence,” Schubert said of The Black Keys’ style. “Some people make a White Stripes comparison just because it’s a two-person act. There’s also a Led Zeppelin comparison you can draw.”

Inflatable couches in the Quad—a staple of previous W.I.L.D. concerts—will not be available this spring, according to Schubert, since the California supplier Team 31 uses is currently backordered. Team 31 had originally planned to have even more couches than there were at previous concerts.

The couches will be back next fall, according to Schubert.

While the Danforth Campus Bookstore previously sponsored the couches, the Bookstore is funding Wydown Water coolers this spring as a more sustainable alternative to bottled water, Schubert said.

Students 21 years old and above are permitted to bring one six-pack of beer into the Quad before 6 p.m., as was the case for previous W.I.L.D. concerts. Performances will begin at 4 p.m. with the winner of the Battle of the Bands competition, which will be held at Second Stage in the early afternoon.

Free Chipotle burritos will be available starting at 4 p.m. Due to large student interest, more burritos were ordered this year than last year.

Team 31 has been giving away free recordings of The Black Keys during T-shirt sales in the Danforth University Center and the Wohl Center. For those who would like to hear the artists’ music before W.I.L.D., Team 31 has posted links to their music on its Web site, http://wild.wustl.edu.