Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Stephen F. Austin State University will hold a ticket giveaway for its upcoming SpringFest concert, which will be hosted by the Student Activities Association and will feature Jamaican-American hip-hop artist Sean Kingston.
The SAA is also taking steps to make the event accessible to all attendees, including having sign language interpreters onsite throughout the performance.
SpringFest is open to the public. Students get in free but will need to “purchase” the free tickets through the ticketing portal as a form of event registration. All others interested in attending will have an opportunity to participate in a ticket giveaway Wednesday, March 29, through SFA’s flagship social media accounts. A SpringFest post will be made on the day with further directions, so follow SFA’s accounts.
The deadline for entries will be Friday, March 31, and winners will be announced Wednesday, April 5. The first-place prize is eight free tickets, second place is four free tickets, and third place is two free tickets. Additionally, 20 other giveaway participants will receive $5 off their ticket purchase.
The SAA also is offering a $500 reward for the registered student organization that brings the most members to the event. Organizations will receive credit by checking in onsite with their student ID.
“We believe the prizes and giveaways are a fun way to get students, faculty, staff and community members excited and engaged for the leadup to this monumental event,” said Michael Onuchovsky, Student Engagement coordinator.
The event will also have many accessibility measures in place, including the presence of interpreters who will sign the songs. A team of student interpreters, led by certified interpreters from SFA’s Disability Services, will be administering the American Sign Language lyrics during the concert.
According to Shannon Groce, SFA staff interpreter, the team has put in about 20 hours of preparation before the concert, which involves researching the artist and songs as well as interpreting and memorizing the songs. They also consult colleagues in the field and get a deaf person’s perspective to make sure the motions are accurate and make sense.
“We usually get a setlist a week or so before the concert, and you have to translate it beforehand — there’s no showing up on stage and translating,” Groce said. “We need to know what every word means beforehand.”
SpringFest is an annual keynote spring event hosted by the SAA as a way to offer an entertaining occasion for students, faculty, staff and community members. This year’s event marks the first hip-hop concert the SAA has produced for SpringFest.
Tickets for faculty and staff are $15 for concourse-level seating or $20 for pit-level seating. For Nacogdoches community members, tickets are $20 for concourse seats and $25 for pit-level seating. Tickets can be purchased at gosfa.com/springfest23. To buy a block of seats, contact the SFA Athletics Ticket Office at (936) 468-5225.
For more information about SpringFest, contact the SAA at (936) 468-1222 or SAA@sfasu.edu.