SPEC, one of the six main student government bodies at Penn, was founded in 1990 to develop, organize, and program campus-wide social and cultural activities for the University community. We are comprised of ten committees, each with directors and from ten to one hundred members. Membership in SPEC is open to any undergraduate interested in social planning, and involvement proves to be an exciting and educational experience.
Click here to see a list of upcoming events and committee meetings!
SPEC Concerts organizes the Spring Fling Concert, a major show each semester and several minor shows throughout the year with developing artists. Past concerts include Akon, Guster, OK Go, Ludacris, Gym Class Heros, Ben Folds, Ben Kweller, Stephen Lynch Third Eye Blind, Rufus Wainwright and Howie Day.
SPEC Connaissance brings an array of public figures to address the Penn community each year. Speakers of the past include Anderson Cooper, Madeline Albright, Henry Kissinger, Whoopi Goldberg, Peyton Manning, Billy Joel, Dick Vitale, Oliver Stone, Ben & Jerry, Ellen DeGeneres and others. We also co-sponsor smaller events with a variety of campus organizations, including Hillel, Facilitating Learning About Sexual Health, and the South Asian Society. Our group is entirely student-run and is open to anyone who is interested in joining.
SPEC-TRUM (To Represent Undergraduate Minorities) events vary from parties to concerts to comedy shows, and in the past they have included concerts with the Roots, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Ryan Leslie, Wale, and the Fugees. SPEC-TRUM has also brought salsa and meringue bands for Latino heritage month and a theater troupe directly from Los Angeles for Asian-Pacific-American heritage week. SPEC-TRUM co-sponsors a variety of events with minority groups on campus, providing financial support and planning assistance.
SPEC Film Society hosts free sneak previews of upcoming movies, screens recent releases at least twice per month on campus, and in 2008 hosted its inagural speaker, renowned film director and producer Spike Lee. Since then, SPEC Film has hosted Joseph Gordon Levitt, Aaron Sorkin, Michael Cera, and others. Past advance screenings include The Social Network and Get Him to the Greek.
Jazz & Grooves organizes major concerts in the fall and spring and often hosts smaller performances. Past performers include Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Medeski Martin & Wood, Branford Marsalis, the Wailers, Miles Davis, the Charlie Hunter Trio, and the Josh Redman Quartet.
SPEC Art Gallery provides Penn students with unique opportunities to experience all the excitement that the Philadelphia art world has to offer. In addition to behind-the-scenes tours to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and private art galleries in Olde City, SPEC Art Gallery organizes customized trips to world-class art institutions in New York City, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim, and Christie’s. SPEC Art Gallery also hosts speaker events featuring influential members of the art community, manages exhibitions in the Fox Art Gallery in Claudia Cohen Hall and hosts the biannual Locust Walk Crafts Fair.
SPEC Sound provides, maintains and runs the technical equipment for events hosted by a variety of student organizations, including Management 100 teams, sororities and fraternities, bands, and other SPEC committees. SPEC Sound provides services to charity events free of charge. SPEC Sound covers a broad array of tech and production support in a variety of contexts.
SPEC Special Events brings a variety of unique events to Penn’s campus. The committee is well-known for providing free cookies, crafts, and other treats to students during several Fests held in Houston Hall. FrightFest, WinterFest, LoveFest and BeachFest give the Penn community a fun and varied break from the rigors of academia.
SPEC Spring Fling organizes Spring Fling, the biggest (and best) college festival on the East Cost and a Penn tradition in existence for 35 years. Each April, nearly 10,000 students and their friends get a chance to revel in the sun before final exams begin. Food vendors, inflatables, live performances by student groups, local bands and much more fills the Quad. On Saturday night, Penn students enjoy more inflatables and games, a DJ party, and free food from their favorite vendors, including Magic Carpet, Chipotle, Capogiro Gelato, and Pat’s Cheesesteaks.
SPEC Executive has a portion of its budget set aside for co-sponsorship of events hosted by other groups. SPEC Exec offers organizational and planning support, as well as financial assistance, to any organization seeking to plan an event on campus. Please refer to the Co-sponsorship page for more information.
