MONICA HORAN
SENIOR WRITER
MC students hold up Lasallian values and traditions, until of course it comes to matters involving “Jasper Days”.
When Student Activities released the information regarding the opening act for the concert once referred to as Springfest, students reacted with disappointment to say the least.
Within minutes of the tweet announcing country singer Craig Campbell as a performer for Jasper Days being published, students began complaining about the choice. The immediate reaction indicated that a portion of the student body would not even participate in Jasper Days in late April.
The feedback received by student activities seemed very unenthusiastic, and resulted in a response from Campbell himself. Campbell was tagged in students complaint tweets and subsequently he was notified of students negative opinions on him being the musical choice.
As someone in the music industry prepared for criticism and disapproval, Campbell gave a cordial and professional reply to students, even inquiring about possible suggestions to help students enjoy the concert and increase attendance for the concert.
Students are entitled to their opinion and they are entitled to free speech, but in some of their replies, they just display unnecessary rudeness, which reflects the rest of the study body and the college itself.
Based on replies Campbell and other twitter users could see, it would seem that not a single person on campus likes Craig Campbell and they are whole-heartedly disappointed in the administration’s decision to choose this particular performer. The truth is, all they are doing is ruining it for the students who will enjoy the concert.
It’s impossible to believe that the campus unanimously agrees that Campbell was the wrong choice t open up at the Jasper Days concert, just as its safe to assume not every student was pleased last year when Alesso performed at Springfest. By spreading bad feelings, it spreads negative feelings throughout campus.
All the criticism does is crush morale and excitement surrounding the event itself. Springfest, Jasper Days, or whatever you choose to call the event is less about the performing artist and more about the day itself.
To complain that there was no survey or vote on the performer would imply that such a thing happened every year. The survey for a Springfest artist was implemented by student government last year for the first time.
At the end of the semester, all students have a chance to attend an event together. There are no invitations, age requirements, or limits on how many students can participate. The day signifies that the end of the semester is within sight and warm weather is following behind it.
No matter who MC got to perform, someone was bound to be disappointed. Jasper Days does not have a budget to match bigger schools in the country. However, anybody performing is better then no spring concert or event. Some schools similar in size to MC do not host any event similar to Jasper Days.
The harsh reality is, whining about the singer does not change it. Country fan or not, nothing at this point is going to change who is performing at Jasper Days since the concert is less than a month away. As a consolation, the concert is in no way a mandatory event and any student that disappointed can spend that Saturday night any other way they seem fit.
The obnoxious expression of annoyance and the complaining just hurts the morale of the artist and contradicts the Lasallian values described in the school’s mission statement.