HEMPFEST, OOZEBALL AND THE GETUP KIDS TO KICK OFF SPRINGFEST

A weekend composed of hippies touting pro-hemp literature, alongside the
muddiest volleyball tournament known to mankind and bittersweet
performances by The Get Up Kids and Dashboard Confessional in Keaney Gym
will jumpstart URI's nine-day long festival known as Springfest 2002.

URI's Hemp Organization for Prohibition Elimination (HOPE) will take over
the Quad on Saturday, April 20, with the organization's fourth annual
"Hempfest." HOPE co-president Keith Forman said the festival celebrates the
economical, environmental and nutritional value of hemp.

The festivities begin around noon, and will feature live roots rock and
jazz-funk bands, as well as speakers and vendors.

Among the groups scheduled to perform are Foxtrot Zulu and a band led by
trumpet player Carlos Washington, formerly of Karl Denson's Tiny Universe.
Speakers will address issues regarding the environmental benefits of hemp
and removing current legislation that prohibits the plant.

"We personally think it's the best event on campus," Forman said, noting
that last's years Hempfest drew over an attendance of 1,000 people from
around the area.

The Student-Alumni Association's 12th annual Oozeball tournament, another
one of the campus's biggest events, will already be under way before
Hempfest activities begin.

Preparation for Oozeball includes digging up 500 square feet of sod in the
fields on Plains Road across from the Convocation Center. After volleyball
nets are pitched, fire hoses soak the grounds for an hour and a half,
creating a mucky surface that is roughly 3-to-5-feet-deep.

Beginning at 9:30 a.m., 90 teams will battle it out, "until the absolute
muddiest end," said John Mastriami, a former Oozeball chairman.

The winning team will emerge with the grand prize of a breakfast at Paris
in the Emporium, numerous gift certificates and "the respect of being the
2002 Oozeball champions," Mastriami explained.

Tara Connelly, a junior member of the Student-Alumni Association, Oozeball
is an event students look forward to every year. "When you're a freshman,
you're like 'what's Oozeball?'" she said. "But when you're a senior, you
can't wait to play."

Past Springfests, sponsored by the URI Student Entertainment Committee
(SEC), have typically been colored with beach related themes, However, with
t-shirt and flyer slogans such as "Where the wild things are" and "Welcome
to the jungle," this year's theme is centered around a jungle concept.

Live entertainment will continue throughout the week, with Vagrant Records
bands, The Get Up Kids and Dashboard Confessional, performing in Keaney
Gymnasium at 8 p.m. Henry Rollins, current front man of Rollins Band and
the former lead singer of Black Flag, will bring his spoken word rants to
Edwards Auditorium on Wednesday, April 24.

Hip Hop artists The Beatnuts and Non-Phixion will perform a free concert
sponsored by WRIU on the Quad on Friday, April 26, and Alkaline Trio will
close out the week of performances with a dose of emo-inflected punk rock
at Edward Auditorium on Sunday.

The rest of week will include standard Springfest-fare activities. The
annual One Ton Sundae will be held outside the Union on Monday. Though not
for the lactose intolerant, the One Ton Sundae affords students to--at the
small cost of $1--gorge themselves with all the ice cream, fudge, sprinkles
and crushed Oreos a digestive system can handle.

Events on the Quad include a Drive-In Movie--"Ocean's 11"--Tuesday night,
"Lobsta Bake" Wednesday afternoon and the Bungee Extreme on Thursday, April 25.

"It's going to be lots of fun," said Meeghan Harrington, vice president of
SEC Special Events. "We've worked really hard to plan this for a long time."