What began as a last-minute event last year, Tie-dye, Tacos and Tunes is back again this Friday evening in the University Union (UU) Plaza, with some minor, pre-meditated adjustments.
The event essentially encompasses exactly what the title says. Tie-dyeing will take place on the lawn in the UU Plaza, Curbside Grill will provide free tacos and local band Central Currency will perform on stage.
Associated Students Inc. (ASI) special events student supervisor and business administration senior Heather Nelson said last year the event was held for the first time and garnered 500 unexpected attendees.
“We were not prepared for it at all,” Nelson said. “We expected (about) 200. So we ran out of food, we ran out of shirts and we (thought), OK this year we’re planning for it big.”
Last year’s event had a somewhat odd set-up. Since the UU Plaza was under construction, tie-dyers were in the Craft Center and the taco truck was outside of the UU.
Nelson said that this year they want to take advantage of the new plaza and have all of the activities going on in one place.
“Last year, Chase McBride was the performer and he just had a little stool inside the craft center because the plaza was under construction, and the taco truck was outside the Craft Center,” Nelson said. “Now that the plaza is redone, (I thought) ‘Hey let’s move this out into the plaza and show everyone how it is and use the new stage.’”
A second major change is the connection to Cal Poly athletics.
This year, Cal Poly athletics donated 1,000 t-shirts to be tie-dyed with either traditional colors or Cal Poly gold and green. Nelson works with both ASI and Cal Poly Athletics and said she wanted to tie the two together.
“It’s Cal Poly Athletics t-shirts, and with the whole Cal Poly pride push this year, it’s really starting with ASI,” Nelson said. “I want to bring Cal Poly pride.”
Nelson said that the color of the shirts is also a big change.
“They’re white this year,” Nelson said. “That was our thing last year — we didn’t ask in advance and we got gray shirts,” Nelson said. “It’s really hard to tie-dye gray shirts.”
Assistant athletic director Shaun Russell said he’d worked with ASI on past events and wanted to collaborate on this one as well.
“I think it makes sense,” Russell said. “ASI is a great partner with Cal Poly Athletics. I think from our perspective we should do everything as an athletics department to support them and the students, so it was just a natural tie for us.”
Russell said the connection between ASI and the athletics department helps school pride resonate on campus.
“I think that great institutions instill a sense of pride, and I think that the athletics department really feels the benefit of that school pride,” Russell said. “And we need to do anything to cultivate that process.”
Although the event will take place in the UU Plaza, the Craft Center will still be involved. Craft Center manager and business administration junior David Arnold said the Craft Center employees will help facilitate while students tie-dye.
“The Craft Center is going to be basically staffing the event and helping and teaching people how to tie-dye their shirts,” Arnold said.
Arnold said he also likes the idea of incorporating school spirit.
“I like the idea of promoting a more unified campus,” he said. “Everything is kind of separate right now. I like the idea of getting everyone together with a meaning of school spirit.”
The event will also take place on the same night as Mott Madness — an annual event celebrating the commencement of the men and women’s basketball season. Although the times may conflict, the ASI team isn’t worried about a lack of attendees for Tie-dye, Tacos and Tunes. The proximity of the events, Nelson said, might even draw more people over to the UU Plaza.
“I feel like it might work,” Nelson said.
ASI marketing student supervisor and journalism senior Flora Anderson said the neighboring events could create some dialogue between attendees.
“Hopefully we’ll have people walking over and telling people to come,” Anderson said. “And also people that are here, we can tell them to go to Mott Madness and increase that Cal Poly spirit.”
Aside from being an alternative to a usual Friday night, Nelson said this event mainly gives students the opportunity to create their own shirts at no cost.
“We have Mustang Maniacs shirts, but you have to buy them for 10 bucks, and we have the Buck the Gauchos shirts but you have to buy them for 10 bucks,” Nelson said, “This is a free athletics shirt you get to design in your own way.”
The event is free and begins at 8 p.m.