Northern Star Editorial Board

Convocation Center event planners are taking a step in the right direction by asking for input on entertainment performances. Providing opportunities to decide which mainstream musicians will perform on campus enhances the feeling of a “communiversity,” student recruitment and retention. This way of thinking can be applied to future projects.

“Communiversity”

Students, faculty, staff and residents voicing their opinions on the 10,000-seat venue’s lineup exemplifies NIU President Doug Baker’s “thriving communities” pillar. As a “communiversity,” the Convo’s input surveys will bring NIU and DeKalb closer. The fact that students and locals have the possibility to decide who performs in front of thousands of fans — ranging from NIU students, high school students, locals and people all over the country — is something to take pride in.

Student recruitment, retention

Fun and memorable shows attract not only NIU students, but high school, nontraditional and even students from other universities. An entertaining performance, especially one chosen by students, is a creative way to recruit.

Convo event planners bring a light to the college experience as students become more involved in the lineup decision process.

Sold-out performances are valid reasons to keep NIU students and bring other students to the growing DeKalb entertainment scene — and the money can’t hurt.

Future projects

Seeking student input should be applied to current and future projects on campus if the Convo’s goals prove successful. Whether online or in person, this input gives an additional perspective to the community’s organizations, businesses and administrators.

As the university crafts its plans for the future, students and locals should be entitled to affect these changes.

Something as simple as implementing the highest result in an online poll would show students, faculty, staff and residents the university values their opinions.

By giving the students’ opinions worth, committees can deflect another “Circus Spectacular” controversy. The near-unanimous vote to reject the Circus Spectacular” at the Feb. 16 Student Association meeting is an example of why organizations should be proactive with student input rather than reactive. Student input is a must.