Pipe Dream is celebrating its 63rd year as Binghamton University’s independent student newspaper. It started as the Colonial News in fall 1946 and has been going strong twice a week ever since. So we are taking a look back into the paper’s archives, at the people and events that have made the news over BU’s past 60 years.

April 30, 2002

Binghamton University’s annual festival to showcase local bands and get students out for some fun in the sun was a little different this year.

Make that a little more commercial.

BU played host to MTV’s Campus Invasion this year for its Spring Fling. For 2K2, MTV provided floats, gift bags, computers to listen to music and watch videos, a karaoke booth and loudspeakers blasting music.

An unexpected sunny Saturday afternoon provided the warm weather for people to picnic and play carnival games around the front and sides of the University Union.

The MTV exhibit took center stage in front of the Union, ousting everything else. The live bands and the ‘Stepping on the Coat’ tradition took their place at the side of the Union facing the Dickinson Dining Hall. The Dickinson bus stop was the site for the tables manned by student groups.

Sumo wrestling, jousting and King of the Mountain were all featured games, as well as a large inflatable obstacle course. For those with the shopping itch, there was a flea market erected that sold beads, potato chips, sundresses and music albums.

According to Bill Kroll, then-assistant director of Campus Activities, Spring Fling was co-sponsored by the University Programming Board and Campus Activities. More than 30 student groups participated in the event.

‘A lot of schools want MTV,’ Kroll said. ‘We were almost lucky to get them. We were part of the route.’ MTV had been to BU once before in 2000. For an event from which BU does not directly profit, it’s a complex fair to set up.

Parts of ‘the brain’ had to be closed to accommodate the floats and tables used in the event.

According to Kimberly Liebhauser, then-assistant director of Campus Activities, workers were installing the temporary facilities at 6:30 a.m.

Liebhauser felt that student participation was integral in making Spring Fling a community event. The event was filled with BU students, but also drew a number of participants from the Southern Tier. Even a campus tour group passed through.

Then-freshman Giya Abraham was impressed by the turnout.

‘This is the most crowded I’ve ever seen it here,’ Abraham said. ‘I’m surprised by the turnout. It just shows what loud music and ice cream can do.’

Former Off-Campus College Student Assembly Reps Kelly Vaccaro and Laurie Wheelock came out at 1 p.m. with the tradition-filled coat and talked about the history of the Stepping on the Coat. Then they and other former Off-Campus College Meeting members read poems they wrote. Then Vaccaro and Wheelock led in jumping on the coat.