The Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic sponsored Spring Week is getting a new name, a new policy and a new duration.

The 2001 event, which will run from Wednesday, April 4 through Sunday, April 8, will now be called "Spring Weekend;" with the theme, "Oh, the Places We Can Go."

"We decided to shorten it this year to allow the organizations to get the full benefit of the events," overall chair Amanda Gormley said. "The university wanted us to prove that Spring Weekend served some purpose, which is the State College AIDS Project."

Spring Weekend will still host co-ed volleyball and football tournaments, as well as chariot races. On Wednesday of Spring Weekend, there will be a program called, "Crowns and Condoms" featuring former Miss America Kate Shindle speaking about AIDS issues and there will be an AIDS Walk on Sunday.

"In the past couple years the UPAC (University Park Allocation Committee) has had a lot of problems because their funds are usually focused on Fall events and Spring events get put on the back burner," public relations chair Lesley Brown said.

"We didn't expect them to run out of money this year, they're running out earlier now and we banked on that money. Now we're trying to find ways to raise money and we hope that we don't have to cut back on events."

Some of the events not occurring for this year's Spring Weekend are the co-ed basketball game and "Crazy Games."

"A lot of us are upset that there are no 'Crazy Games' this year," said rules and regulations committee liaison Jeff Bowen from Alpha Kappa Lambda. "But I think the general excitement of Spring Week will be the same."

Also new to Spring Weekend is the effect of the Panhellenic Social Policy. If any organization is found in violation of the social policy during Spring Weekend both the Panhellenic organization and their pair will be immediately disqualified according to the Spring Weekend rules and regulations.

If a Panhellenic organization violates the policy before Spring Weekend, only they are disqualified from participation.

"The Social Policy will definitely play a role in this year's Spring Weekend," Brown said. "This is the first event that is affected by the new policy, since Thon is all philanthropic. We're really working hard to accommodate.

We're having fraternities host 4 to 6 way events so we can get around the policies and still have a good time."