If there is one thing Georgia State is doing right, it’s the speakers who come to campus. Speakers representing a wide variety of fields of study, along with well-known performers, have visited Georgia State in the last year. As with most things, sometimes these sessions are hit or miss for the students.
One distinction that should be made by the university is the difference between speakers and performers. There have been a variety of very educational and inspirational speaker sessions like Lisa Ling and Mark Kelly These are the good events that help students grow and learn, and inspire them to move forward with their careers and passions.
The performers, on the other hand, leave some to be desired. Yes, many of these cancellation were victims of unfortunate circumstances: Rick Ross had a bad heart, Common had to save Haiti and Lupe is apparently afraid of crowds.
So why bother? Instead of entertainers, let’s bring more Jane Goodalls and more Deepak Chopras. Because it’s hard to imagine the kinds of wisdom Rick Ross and Lupe Fiasco could pass to the student body.
College is not a concert, it’s a learning environment and the events that we host here at Georgia State should reflect that. There is nothing wrong with setting up entertainment for the students, but the university should look into better options for offering student discounts for off-campus events.
Instead of paying to bring performers to campus, perhaps the university could try to offer discounted tickets with a student ID for concerts at The Tabernacle, Variety Playhouse or even the Philips Arena.
Then Georgia State could funnel the funding wasted on performers and bring more distinguished speakers to Georgia State. That is what college campus life should be about–offering opportunities to students that help them follow their passions that they have worked so hard at to be here.
Case in point: the Jane Goodall event hosted by Campus Events was so popular that the entire auditorium and the over flow room filled up within 15 minutes. The students are hungry for knowledge and this shows it. Students may want the school to spend their student fees on bringing entertainers to campus, but it isn’t what they need.
And for the record, we applaud Campus Events for their Distinguished Speakers series, which have brought some truly accomplished individuals. Common, however, remains their only misfire.
Kevin Clash a.k.a Voice of Elmo, was indeed a victim of an unfortunate circumstance. It is only logical to postpone the event and allow Clash to regain his footing, as one would need after being accused of having an affair with a minor.
In the meantime, we look forward to your spring programming.
