UNIQUE worth its weight and then some

Samantha Moreno

Upcoming bands like FUN. come and go through Sacramento State, yet students do not take the advantage of the shows UNIQUE put on.

UNIQUE is a program run by student volunteers at Sac State to bring local artists, bands, lectures, performing arts or multicultural programs to campus.

The majority of the events by UNIQUE are free, yet ticketed events and concerts will give students a discount, compared with public ticket sales.

About 25 percent of ticketed events are attended by students, whereas the remaining 75 percent is attended by the general public. The student percentage is fairly lower than expected. I’d think a lot more students would attend UNIQUE’s ticketed concert events with how cheap the tickets are being offered.

Senior psychology major Justin Randle has been volunteering his time for his 10th semester on campus. He works as a student assistant for UNIQUE and spends about 40 hours a week planning, promoting, setting and running events for the UNIQUE program.

“Ticketed concerts can be up to $25, but we try to stay in the teens to make it reasonable for students,” Randle said. “It all depends on costs for the artist performing as well; Kanye West won’t ever be coming on campus.”

Advertisements for UNIQUE concerts are thrown all over campus: banners in the University Union, fold-up signs in the walkways and fliers posted on the information desk in the Union. Students are bound to see a sign for an upcoming concert on campus not to mention the big banners posted in the hallways of the Union.

FUN. featuring its new hit single “We Are Young” will be stopping by Sac State March 26. Not many students may recognize the name of a band, but its hit single has been featured on Glee and a Chevy Sonic commercial and No. 1 on iTunes.

For weeks now, playing “We Are Young” on repeat on YouTube means I’m counting down the day until the rock out on the Union Ballroom stage.

Senior business human resource major Francis Reyes attended hip-hop and comedy shows planned by UNIQUE. Though Reyes attended shows hosted by UNQIUE, he said there should be more variety with bands and artists who perform on campus.

“They should have more real hip-hop concerts for free and branch out when it comes to other genres of music like reggae,” Reyes said. “Techno and rave music have been becoming a hit to a lot of students. (UNIQUE) should hit all aspects of music to get more students involved and attend their events.”

Hip-hop artist Zion I and experimental indie rock band Circa Survive performed at Sac State in 2010, as well as post-hardcore rock band Dance Gavin Dance in 2011. These three bands have great talent Sac State students are missing out on.

Attending a concert sponsored by UNIQUE in fall 2010 by hip-hop artist Atmosphere, one of my favorite artists was exciting and there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity to see him perform live at Sac State.

If visual advertisement is not good enough for the eyes of our students to catch their attention, then word of mouth spreads faster than a wild fire, no matter what the topic is. Tell friends, classmates to check out a UNIQUE event.

Students are broke after tuition and textbooks. We waste cash every weekend on booze, fast food and useless necessities. Coming across a $10 concert ticket on campus is a deal no student should pass up. Grab a group of friends and rock out at a concert, rather than cashing out on Taco Bell at 2 a.m.

Samantha Moreno can be reached at [email protected]