In recent weeks, technical difficulties and low turnout have threatened the future of our long-established Sunday night movie tradition, FLiCKS. Although its popularity remains low among upperclassmen, many students believe that the beloved 80-year-old Stanford tradition is worth saving. With the program’s long-awaited return on Dec. 2 nearly upon us, there are still a handful of issues that have yet to be resolved in efforts to revitalize FLiCKS.

The most crucial issue is the timing. While FLiCKS’ customary scheduling at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Sunday ostensibly provides a study break opportunity, the timing is a deterrent to many. There are many students who would enjoy catching the latest release — like “Transformers” or “Superbad” — but are too busy dealing with all the work they left to the last few hours of the weekend. Sunday night is a time for homework, not Hollywood, and FLiCKS would do well to reschedule their screenings for an earlier time on the weekend, ideally Friday.

Outgoing FLiCKS director Mathew Crichton ‘10 noted that he, too, believes Friday nights would be a more advantageous time for FLiCKS and that survey results show a great deal of support for the move [“FLiCKS changes leadership,” Nov. 16]. Moving the screenings to Friday would likely induce a dramatic spike in student turnout — not only would FLiCKS not have to compete with the Sunday night homework crunch, it would also provide an alternative to Friday night frat parties.

But according to FLiCKS’ new director Kyle Evaldez ‘09, changing the time would create other problems.

“Logistically, Sunday nights are easier to book with regards to reserving space, since most big events usually happen either during weekday nights or on Saturday nights,” he said.

The Stanford Lively Arts schedule reveals that there are several events — such as the Kronos Quartet and the Merce Cunningham Dance company on successive Fridays in January — that would certainly conflict with a Friday night FLiCKS.

If Memorial Auditorium is overscheduled on Friday nights and attendance continues to remain low, an alternative could be moving FLiCKS to the smaller but less utilized Cubberley Auditorium, where “Wristcutters” was shown earlier in the year. However it is accomplished, moving FLiCKS to Friday would do much to rejuvenate the flickering film program. Evaldez agrees. The FLiCKS committee is “definitely playing around with the idea of possibly having screenings on another night,” he said, “on top of our usual Sunday screenings.”

In addition to changing the timing of FLiCKS, the organization would do well to reinstate its past policy of charging students for tickets. Evaldez says that funding for the organization was less stable under that system, but making the program free to students may actually reduce attendance by removing the incentive for students to go. Let us explain:

Paying ahead of time for tickets, even if it effects a short term decrease in interest, does more to ensure that students will want their money’s worth and show up. Selling ticket packages for a month at a time, for instance, would further guarantee student turnout. If you’ve already shelled out $3 or $5 (a sum significantly less than what it would cost you to see “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” at Shoreline), you’re much more likely to head to MemAud after dinner on Friday than you would be if you hadn’t already paid a fee. That’s not to say FLiCKS shouldn’t continue to receive some baseline funding, but charging a pittance for tickets could provide the necessary incentive to boost attendance.

And if you’re going to be charged, why not have a say in what’s being shown? The FLiCKS Web site (FLiCKS.stanford.edu) currently welcomes student suggestions for future showings, and even encourages submissions of hilarious YouTube videos to be shown before the feature film. While the organization is clearly open to student feedback, they might consider implementing a more formal and available input system in the future, like showing four movie titles at the start of the film and having students text their preferences a la Cardinal promos at sporting events, or utilizing Facebook as a more accessible mechanism for receiving student input. If all else fails, write suggestions on the paper provided at the 10 p.m. screening and let it fly.

The suggestions need not even be limited to blockbuster hits. Organizers have said they’re committed to showing a diverse lineup of films, so send in suggestions for black and white classics, indie films, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” or whatever tickles your fancy. Promoting a wider variety of films could enhance student interest and turnout.

FLiCKS has been at the Farm since 1937, according to Stanford Magazine. To put that in perspective, in 1937, the top-grossing movie in the U.S. was the original “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” and the Oscar for Best Actor and Actress went to Spencer Tracy and Luise Rainer.

FLiCKS has been a part of Stanford for a long time, but it’s caught now in a maelstrom of student apathy and technical and organizational problems. FLiCKS should explore and implement innovative methods to recapture student interest, lest our venerable film program flicker and die.