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Printer-Friendly ModeNew entertainment avenues deserve look
October 29, 2007 —
The fallout of the Plain White T's concert will be seen as some as a major hiccup in the operation of Program Board. However, I think this could be a turning point in how this campus organization works to bring entertainment to SVSU students.
In the last few years, much of their budget has been used toward bringing one, massive concert to campus. While those concerts have generally been a success and aren't without their benefits, perhaps it is now time to refresh our thinking, and peruse other avenues.
One such path would lead toward spreading the wealth around, focusing on a number other smaller programs, and strengthening some already existing programs.
For example, the movie night Valley Nights puts on is a program that is already solid. But, with the extra funding and man hours Program Board could provide, this program could really take off. A early fall and early spring outdoor nighttime showing would be something worth looking into.
Also, local bands could be brought in, and paid to play at not just the Coffeehouse series, but in perhaps a weekly show. Saginaw has a diverse, active local music scene, and most acts don't even make $100 per show. That kind of cash would be more than enough to draw a few of them.
Events like this, from the Coffeehouse to Cardinal Sins' Slamorama, have proven popular among the student body. Perhaps with the extra funding saved from not investing such a large percentage of it into one large concert, the frequency of these type of events could be increased.
However, I do understand that coming up with new ideas and implementing them is not as easy as it sounds.
The common trend on this campus is for students who chose not to be involved cite their reasoning as being due to a lack of activities on campus. However, these same students who chose not to participate and try to make things better can be heard complaining whenever a group tries something different in an attempt to draw their interest. We have a student body here at SVSU that isn't easy to please, so there is a fine line to tread when venturing down new paths to try and reinvigorate the activity on campus.
Like I said earlier, the larger concerts that Program Board has put on over the last few years have had their benefits. They've brought record numbers of students together in one place, and nearly all students who attended them enjoyed themselves. However, it still may be time to consider a change.