The King’s College hosted its nineteenth – and possibly last – Spring Interregnum from March 29 to 31.

The winners of the Interregnum Cup and the annual House Cup were the House of Sojourner Truth and the House of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, respectively.

This year’s Interregnum theme was Flourishing, an adjective that might appear difficult to embody under the current circumstances at King’s. Some students at the college chose to skip Spring Interregnum because of the school’s situation.

“The school situation is definitely the reason I am skipping because I have other work to do. I have colleges I need to apply to, colleges I need to talk to. I have a job that I can be doing,” said Lily Dupree, a freshman in the House of Corrie Ten Boom.

But this annual all-campus conference is a pass-or-fail noncredit required class at King’s. The Interregnum 2022-23 syllabus states, “This course is required for all full-time, degree-seeking students each semester (up to eight) that they are enrolled at The King’s College.”

“With me probably not graduating from this school, I don’t see it as anything I need. I don’t see how the school is even mandating something like that,” said Greg Ivanov, a sophomore in the House of Lewis. “I could not make it because I had an audition for a conservatory on Thursday. The main reason I had it is because the school is closing down.”

The Interregnum syllabus states, “Students who fail to meet attendance requirements for any event may earn a passing grade by performing make-up work.”

However, there are consequences if students at King’s fail to participate or complete make-up work.

“Interregnum is a graduation requirement; it does go on your transcript, so if you choose to not go you are going to have a failing grade on your transcript, but only if you choose to not do the makeup work,” said Kaylee Vroon, the Co-Chair of the Interregnum Committee and a senior in the House of Margaret Thatcher.

Despite potential repercussions, some students still chose to skip.

“I truly hope it doesn't affect the way in which what I've taken so far at this school transfers over,” said Charles Stevens, a junior in the House of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “For me personally, I put my energy into dealing with my own personal and familial problems as well as finding somewhere else for me to hopefully transfer seamlessly into.”

Even with House loyalty, some students still felt the need to prioritize their time for other things such as applications over Interregnum.

“I feel bad that I am not going to be there for my house, but even though I love my house, I have to work on other things,” said Dupree.

The lack of confidence in a future for King’s contributed majorly to this mindset.

“I feel like, especially with the school going this way and all of the students having to find other colleges and working on applications and scholarships, it’s just a waste of our time in some way or another,” said Dupree, “I get that the House Cup is a big deal, but we’re not going to have a House next year.”

Alternatively, some students felt that the uncertainty regarding King’s future was more of a reason to engage in Interregnum.

“I think it hit me that it might be the last hurrah, so I am really excited,” said Sarene Jackson, an Interregnum liaison and a junior in the House of Queen Elizabeth I.

Interregnum is unique to King’s, and some students felt that participating in this tradition was especially essential at this time.

“For this semester especially, I feel like it is a huge morale booster; I feel like it is a chance for you to get together with your house and friends to spend some quality time with them and also to experience something that sets Kings apart,” said Vroon, “It could possibly be the last Interregnum, and this is something that makes King’s so special. At no other school are you going to find something like this.”

“This is such an integral part of the King’s community that if this is our last chance, why would we not go all out?” said Vroon.

Joanna Insco is a sophomore from California studying Journalism, Culture and Society at The King’s College. She is an intern at The Brooklyn Paper and is involved in ESTV. She enjoys spending time in nature and drinking copious amounts of coffee.

Students Respond to What May be King’s Last Interregnum