Columbia’s Manifest Arts Festival — a campus tradition that celebrates graduating seniors — will move to the Saturday of graduation weekend for the first time in its 25-year history. President and CEO Shantay Bolton said the change will make the event more accessible for families, alum and the broader public.

That’s a good goal. But as the college expands the festival’s reach, it must take care not to lose sight of why Manifest exists in the first place: to celebrate the creativity and hard work of Columbia’s graduating students.

The college is considering once again closing down streets, bringing in outside vendors and transforming Manifest into a multi-day celebration that might eventually generate revenue through ticket sales. While that ambition is understandable, especially given Columbia’s financial challenges, revenue should never eclipse recognition. Manifest isn’t a marketing tool; it’s a showcase of student achievement.

Moving the festival to Saturday offers some real advantages. Graduating students will have an opportunity to showcase their work to more people, and  more family members will be able to attend, especially those who will be traveling from outside of the Chicago area to attend graduation. 

This year’s Manifest will definitely serve as a test. But the college must closely monitor the event on its new day to ensure that the campus community remains the priority.

Manifest was created for graduating students to showcase their work, so Columbia must still remember to center Manifest around them. The measure of success won’t be how many food trucks line the streets, but if students feel celebrated.

After all, Manifest’s heart has always been its students. Even as the festival evolves, that must remain its center stage.

Copy edited by Matt Brady