Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor:

I would like to comment on the article on the Nelly concert that ran in the April 24 edition of the Alestle.

I believe the article was grossly inaccurate and negative, when the concert itself was a very successful and positive experience on this campus.

The headline shocked me into reading the article to find out what negative comments Daniel Toberman had to say about the concert, especially when I remembered the article that ran last year regarding the Urge concert. Nelly's performance was actually not cut short. He was scheduled for 45 minutes, which was part of his contract. And as the article pointed out, he performed for 50 minutes.

Also, the four opening acts were scheduled as follows: Core was scheduled for 10 minutes, Royce da 59 for 15, Alley Life for 15 and Sticky Fingaz for 20. While Nelly did appear on stage late, that was something members of the University Center Board could not control in any way. And we never suggested to Nelly that it was time for him to get off the stage at any point during the performance.

Instead of writing these inaccuracies, Toberman could have focused on all the positive points of this concert.

Tickets sold out in approximately two weeks, and the house was packed. Final attendance for the concert was recorded at somewhere around 3,600 people. That's probably one of the largest events to occur on this campus in a long time.

Up until Toberman's article ran, I heard nothing but positive comments from students, and several staff members have gone out of their way to congratulate us on a job well done. There were no fights and no serious mishaps. The ambulance service we hired was never needed, and everyone had a good time.

I'm sorely displeased that such a negative article was run when in reality the concert was the most successful event the University Center Board has put on in a long time.

Allison Benoit

University Center Board

Dear Editor,

First, let me compliment you and your staff on the many improvements to the Alestle over the last year. Then let me complain.

I was disappointed that Daniel Toberman made the choice to write a negative story about the April 21 Nelly concert. While I was disappointed with the factual errors in his article and a true lack of investigation in his reporting, what I found most disappointing was his failure to consider the numerous positive aspects of the concert.

The performances were dynamic, the crowd well behaved, and the staff and volunteers courteous and efficient. This concert was a success from both an artistic level and from the community level.

Those of us who attended with an open mind were brought closer together while being greatly entertained. Most importantly, it showed that this campus is both ready and deserving of being entertained by major acts.

Had Mr. Toberman actually reported the story that was unfolding on April 21, he would have written about how the quality of student life on this campus took a major step forward with that concert. He should have been congratulating everyone involved with the concert for opening our eyes to the possibilities that exist for major student-centered events on campus and not trying to find controversy where none existed.

Part of a reporter's responsibility to the community is to report the full story. Unfortunately, in an attempt to find a controversy, Toberman missed the real news from the concert.

A.G. Monaco

Director of Human Resources

Dear Editor:

I am writing in response to the article on Springfest that was published on April 24. Brooke Heitz's article gives readers a false sense of what actually occurred.

I attended the events and can honestly say that the article left out some key details about the Outback Bonfire. The story says that the evening was fun and exciting, which was the exact opposite of what actually occurred.

I was there to watch my friends' band, Kessel Run. This Outback Bonfire was one of the worst-planned events I have ever seen on campus. For starters, the band was not provided with any sound equipment. Luckily they had brought their own just in case, otherwise there wouldn't have been a show at all. When they arrived, no one even knew if a sound person had been contacted or how long the band was supposed to play.

It appeared there were two groups running the event. There was the group that was in charge of the Survivor Challenge and the group that was in charge of the food. While these two groups were worrying about what they were in charge of, someone missed the entertainment part.

The people who were there and in charge were very nice, but no one knew what anyone was supposed to do. This was probably due to the arguing the two groups were doing. Just standing around, you could hear a woman yelling at others in the pavilion about wasting her time. The band did, however, set up and went on with the performance, which got under way about 5 p.m.

Within 15 minutes of the Survivor Challenge concluding, people started to leave. I guess they were fast eaters. By 5:30 p.m. there were only about 20 people left. Then they announced the winner of the Nelly tickets, which was the most insulting thing that happened all evening.

Having no set time for the ticket drawing, they could have waited until Kessel Run was done playing, but they didn't. They asked the band after a song if they would pick the winner from an envelope. They graciously did, and the winner was eventually picked (you had to be in attendance to win the tickets). After the winner was announced, everyone but the food servers and the fans of the band left.

The very least that the people in charge could have done was wait for the band to finish playing. After all, they were there playing on only two hours' notice and with their own equipment because someone messed up. It was one of the rudest things I have ever seen.

After attending that event, I am no longer sorry that I don't go to more school functions. People are always complaining that there isn't anything to do on this campus. While I am sure that most other events are not as poorly planned and executed as this, it's always the bad things people remember. That should be considered the next time someone plans a campus activity.

Travis Brown

Mass Communications