The third annual UNiQUE WEUSI Music Festival and Vendor Fair was held at the University Union Serna Plaza on Friday, Sept. 13.
The event showcased local bands, artists and student vendors associated with the Stinger Expo to promote their businesses and products.
The band Ideateam, a Sacramento-based funk and soul group, was one of the musical performers. Ideateam features multiple talented instrumentalists who are complemented by lead singer Julian Cunningham.
Cunningham, who teaches vocal jazz and music theory at American River College while pursuing a master’s degree in music at Sac State, said he feels that events like this allow for the student body to get closer to each other.
“I feel like it brings us together,” Cunningham said. “It shows that there’s excitement at Sac State. It’s not a boring school to go to.”
UNiQUE Programs advisor Ajamu Lamumba said he appreciates the sense of camaraderie and is keen to provide a reason for students to gather.
“[We] just try to make stuff happen, give students a positive memory besides just going to class, writing papers and taking tests,” Lamumba said.
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Guests at the event were also able to check out some of the various student vendors selling their own brands and goods.
King Simmons, a fourth-year film production major, had the chance to promote his clothing brand Stop Killing Each Other, or SKEO for short.
“If people know me personally, they know that I’m all about Black empowerment, so that was the inspiration for my brand,” Simmons said. “I just made a brand for my people, but really anyone can wear it.”
Simmons said he was thankful not only for the chance to promote his brand but also to express himself as an artist and person.
“I just want to promote the brand and the message, more than just trying to get sales,” Simmons said.
Another student vendor, senior computer science major Dylan Do, said has been making custom hand-tufted rugs for half a year and was thankful for the opportunity to get eyes on his work.
“I actually enjoy it so much,” Do said. “I love that I can just show everybody what I made.”
Students were able to roam among the different stations and get a taste of campus culture.
Lili Matti, a second-year forensic chemistry major said, “I think it’s nice because I’m assuming that most of the people that have these stands are also students themselves so they can express themselves and show what they got.”
Sac State Center for Mathematics & Science Education employee and trumpet player Nick Niebank got the chance to showcase his musical talents on the outdoor stage at The Union.
Niebank said he is a fan of the efforts to create a community between the students, especially on a campus largely composed of commuters.
“Giving [students] a real event where they can be outside and catch live music and go to vendors and interact with the other students really takes it to the next level,” Niebank said, “This is honestly the way to do it.”
Events like the WEUSI festival are important for commuter students like Beautiful Okeibunor, a first-year business major, who was walking by.
“At first I just thought it was a music festival,” Okeibunor said. “But now that I’m looking around, it’s so much more than that.”
