By The Runner Staff
When I was browsing various social media outlets over the weekend, I noticed that there were campuses in the CSU system that were promoting concerts and other fun events on their campuses that rarely, if at all, come to CSUB.
For example, San Jose State is hosting Dada Life, Morgan Page and Luminox in March at their campus for The Dada Land Compound San Jose.
In 2014, CSU Fullerton welcomed Waka Flocka Flame for their Spring Concert. CSU Chico also has comedians and other popular musicians on their event schedule such as Purple Rain, a tribute to Prince, on Feb. 21 and The Pink Floyd Experience in April.
The CSUB schedule is full of guest speakers such as the Dominoes Chief Executive Officer J. Patrick Doyle, established musicians, and student performances, just like every other school.
The difference, however, is that CSUB rarely has a fun concert from a famous performer or comedian on campus for the students to enjoy. Many students have the same routine of only coming to campus for class, with the occasional pit stop for one of these speakers or a game. Any entertainment requires a two-hour drive north to Fresno, or a two-hour drive south to Los Angeles. The lack of entertainment options in Bakersfield is troubling, and CSUB can be that hub not only for the students, but for the community as well.
The city itself has enough country music concerts or Latin music concerts, and the appearance by a current popular star happens once in a blue moon, such as the upcoming Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias concert, but that still falls under the Latin music category.
Clearly, hosting these famous musicians is costly, but there are also popular musicians who are underground, or indie, and are still popular within the masses and do not cost nearly as much. Instead of them performing at bars, like Jerry’s Pizza and B Ryders, CSUB should be willing to host these bands on campus, to give the students something to look forward to and boost their morale.
CSUB had no problem spending over $26,000 on water refilling stations throughout campus. While these stations are useful and help save water, they do not really boost the morale for the students or create an exciting atmosphere.
If CSUB wants to truly shed its status as a “commuter campus,” they can start here and promote events that will make the current students want to remain here throughout their college careers.
