NIU students have a problem. It’s an entertainment problem.

This entertainment problem has students in DeKalb settling when it comes to enjoying live music in a quality venue. But the problem gets deeper: NIU has a perfect venue that has been grossly underworked this semester.

NIU’s Convocation Center has hosted a mere two shows since September. Not to knock Cedric the Entertainer or REO Speedwagon, but the problem still gets worse.

Coming on Nov. 27 to DeKalb are the world-famous Sesame Street puppets. Yes they’re still around, and yes they’ll be doing their thing on the very floor John Mayer, Kanye West, 311 and BB King have entertained students on in just the past two years.

In 2004, Bob Dylan, Incubus and Dave Chappelle came to DeKalb.

Big names have entertained NIU students here on campus in the past, but if they don’t continue to come, the Convo at least needs to bill smaller-name bands so our venue doesn’t drop off the face of the earth entirely.

If it reaches a point where the Convo isn’t even hosting smaller shows on a consistent basis, the bigger shows will become even rarer.

NIU’s Campus Activities Board (CAB) is the student-run programming organization on campus, and needs to deliver on its responsibility of consistently providing entertainment to students at NIU.

The CAB and anyone else involved with bringing entertainment to the Convocation Center needs to find out what students want and then do its best to deliver. The CAB Web site has an opinion survey for students to provide feedback and input, but this will only do so much and it’s unlikely to provide a representative sampling of the student body.

This improved service doesn’t have to mean more big-name acts, but five shows in a semester is not enough – no matter who’s playing. Something is better than nothing and the Convo shouldn’t sit empty nearly as much as it has this semester.

There are plenty of options when it comes to using the Convocation Center as a means for recreation. These could include the performing arts, trade shows, craft shows and other specialty conventions – hopefully a little more suited for a college audience than Sesame Street. At the very least, these types of events will bring people to DeKalb who will spend money in our town.

To get in touch with the CAB and to find out how you can become more involved in bringing more entertainment to NIU, visit the Campus Activities Board’s Web site at www.niu.edu/cab.