Geneseo Campus Activities Board decided to mix up its usual routine, giving Geneseo students more musical variation than ever before. For the 2017-2018 school year, GCAB has changed its concert model to benefit the multiple music tastes of Geneseo students.
GCAB plans events for on and off campus students to enjoy. The organization is responsible for many of the fun activities that take place on campus throughout the year, like Siblings Weekend, the Kinetic Art Gallery showings, the annual Welcome Back Jam, the Geneseo Fringe Festival and more.
The new concert model was designed to increase student satisfaction with concerts for the 2017-2018 school year. Molly Downey, the former chair of GCAB, decided to expand the concert program model after she spoke with her advisor Tiffany Brodner, an associate director of Student Life.
Specifically, GCAB modeled the new Geneseo program after a program at Nazareth College, which made concerts more accessible to students throughout the year.
Rather than have one concert on campus per year, GCAB is now purchasing concert tickets ahead of time for students. Tickets are free or available at a greatly reduced price. The organization is also facilitating transportation to the concerts, making it even easier for students to enjoy popular bands anywhere in the upper New York State area. Students’ opinions, availability and ticket cost will all play a role in which performers the board will buy tickets for.
“One of [GCAB’s] big focuses with this new model was to incorporate diversity and get a lot of different genres,” GCAB board member sophomore Leah Sherman said.
The previous model only allowed for one act per year. Although the annual performer was chosen based on student suggestion, it left little room for variety and often resulted in solely white male singers. This new model will allow students to get out of their comfort zone and see a couple more acts, according to Sherman.
So far, the new model’s sales have exceeded expectations. The first sale was for a Matchbox Twenty and Counting Crows concert in Syracuse on Saturday Sept. 9. The tickets were sold out within five hours, Sherman said.
Next up will be a Migos concert on Sept. 29 in Rochester. What will follow has yet to be determined, but the future picks will reflect desires of Geneseo students.
GCAB is an important part of the daily life of all Geneseo students, Downey believes.
“The board’s mission is to facilitate fun, entertainment, build community and create connections on campus,” Downey said.
Building community is something that both members of the board wanted to focus on as the heart of GCAB.
“As a freshman last year, certain events really helped me feel at home on campus,” Sherman said.
These activities are designed to bring people together to enjoy themselves, despite the stresses of academia. GCAB and its events attract every type of student and bring an outlook of fun to the day-to-day life here at Geneseo.
This new concert model is another way to uphold GCAB’s promise. By adding a diverse, new opportunities to experience different genres of music, students will now have more options and opportunities to get out and do something worthwhile.
So whether you’re a chemistry or history major, a freshman or senior, a hip hop or metal fan, you can gain something from the GCAB’s hard work in this new model and all of its events.u
Geneseo Campus Activities Board has changed the format of its concert series. This new structure will offer a greater assortment of musical genres and acts than previous years to students. Tickes sold out for the first sale in five hours. (Annalee Bainnson/Photo Editor)