Springfest to implement new safety measures


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USC will put in place new safety measures for Springfest this year.

Students will now have to register for the event online and will not be permitted to bring guests.

Pre-registration, however, does not guarantee admission to the venue. Students will be admitted on a first-come, first-serve basis.

There will also be increased security and increased fencing at the entry points and around the perimeter of McCarthy Quad, which will host the event.

“We’re looking that practices are consistent to have a safe and fun event for everyone and to reduce potential for injuries and unlawful behavior,” DPS Lieutenant Mark Cervenak said.

According to Cervenak, the number of students admitted to the venue will be capped at 5,000, but fire regulation will be conducting ongoing assessment of the crowd throughout the night.

“If you have people dancing, one becomes two maybe three people [because] if someone’s moving around it creates less space,” he said.

Students will not be permitted to reenter the venue if they leave. This is to assure that students do not lend their student IDs to others to allow them entry, Cervenak said.

“[We] might have a real popular artist performing or a real popular event and the venue has to be able to accommodate our guests for that,” Cervenak said. “If there’s too many people, it poses a safety concern for all of us and liability for the University.”

These new measures have stemmed from last year’s Springfest, which was canceled before the headliner came out onstage due to concerns for student safety and security because of overcrowding. Springfest 2017 drew a larger crowd than previous years with a crowd in which 30 percent were non-USC students, according to a Daily Trojan article from April.

“[My] position that we didn’t have last year so I guess that’s the biggest indication that there’s been a change,” said Kira Stiers, director of risk management for concerts committee. “We’ve created this position just because our shows have gotten bigger as our artists have gotten bigger.”