COLUMN: Entertainment decisions need more student input

When I learned Travis Porter was coming to the University of South Dakota, I was surprised.

Not only did I not have a clue whom this was, but I wasn’t aware that this was someone who students wanted to see. Needless to say, I felt out of the loop! I assumed I was caught up with all the new artists, but until early March I had never heard of him. This is when I found out that not a lot of students were fans of Travis Porter, or have heard of him. The Campus Activities Board (CAB) chooses the spring entertainment, and this board is made up of students with an advisor. I pose the question: Do they ask students who they would like to see, or is there another reason for bringing in an unknown artist?

In my hometown, artists like Maroon 5 and Macklemore have been to one of the three major universities for their spring entertainment, and we get Travis Porter and Jerrod Niemann. I am not judging these artists, I am simply saying I have no idea who either of them are. From what I have heard from other students, they are unaware as well.

So how is spring entertainment determined? Nowhere have I seen a survey asking students who they would like to see for a band. I did not receive any email, or was asked at the student center who I think would be a good crowd pleaser. The more I thought about it, the more irritated I had become. I am a student here, I should have a say in the spring entertainment.

The only other plausible scenario I could think of was either the lack of funds to bring in a popular artist, or the room available on campus. Now these can be used to rationalize all of my questions. By my observation alone, I do not see much fundraising for CAB, or ways to get students involved. The more I think about our campus, I can see we do not have an area to hold a crowd a bigger named artist would bring in. Aalfs Auditorium is big, and it can seat a lot of students, but concerts are meant for standing, dancing and jamming out to music. At the beginning of the year, USD brought Paradise Fears to an outdoor concert, and it is obvious that weather would not permit an outdoor concert.

I think CAB should offer surveys, get the word out there. It should be the student’s who decide who is brought in for entertainment with whatever budget we do have.