When it comes to Convocation Center events, what is popular and what is diverse are separate ideas. Popular acts such as Nelly, Brooks and Dunn and Staind bring in large crowds, but there are some students who do not feel the Convo is diverse enough.

John Garity, a senior political science and hospitality administration major, said the Convo could better utilize its space and make more money by offering different acts.

“I want alternative music,” Garity said. “They have a narrow spectrum – kind of a hip-hop thing going on.”

Garity lists Gwen Stefani, John Mayer, U2 and Sting as acts for which he would buy a ticket.

Chris Mitchell, a senior computer science major, said he thinks the events at the Convo reflect NIU students’ varying tastes.

“They seem to get popular acts – like Nelly was a popular artist,” Mitchell said. “I see they have other types of shows as well, comedic and all that. It seems pretty diverse.”

Events at the Convocation Center are influenced by the recommendations of a student committee on campus.

Convo Marketing Manager Kevin Selover communicates with a committee of volunteers that give feedback on what is popular in order to try to appease NIU’s diverse tastes.

The committee is an open forum and is completely voluntary. Committee membership is open to any NIU student, but there is a certain degree of confidentiality that must be maintained regarding subject matter, Selover said. Members discuss possible acts, but events discussed there do not necessarily make it into the Convo.

“It’s kind of a brainstorming session,” Selover said. “I ask what types of shows would do well; they’ll go and do research and tell me what may or may not work.”

The committee is headed by Aaron Langguth, a junior corporate communication major and vice chairman of the Convo board. Langguth said his first step in organizing the board was to contact the leadership of NIU’s organizations and Greek advisers.

Anyone who wants to be on the committee is more than welcome, Langguth said. Most meetings have 10 to 15 participants. As vice chairman of the Convo board, Langguth is automatically the chair of the student events committee and the contact person for membership.

“We try to have a wide variety of events at the Convo,” Langguth said. “So we try to be as diverse as humanly possible.”

The Convocation Center Web site, www.convocenter.niu.edu, also features a feedback link which can be used to provide input on past or future events.