A University phenomenon occurred Tuesday in the Student Center. Masses of students gathered in the atrium with one mission. The student body seemed united, a student organization had touched a diverse and large group-Hofstra Concerts booked a very current and very popular band. Within five hours the Maroon 5 concert was sold out. And only four percent of the student body will be represented at the show, that is if no faculty or alumni bought tickets. There could be monetary or legal issues to contend to like the Spike Lee debacle. But when the University is going to offer the student body solid entertainment, it should truly be offered to the student body as a whole. A venue holding only 500 students can barely be deemed a University event. The University’s “spring fest” is coming up this week. The lame excuse for a spring weekend (in comparison to the festivities of say University of Connecticut) will find a minimal number of students out for an afternoon of burgers and very mini, mini-golf. The allure of social college activities is so sparse on this campus it seems a great opportunity such as the Maroon 5 concert would in turn be a great opportunity to really see students get excited. It would be great if hundreds of students crowded the intramural fields for spring fest, but they won’t. Finding a united front for the students has proven to be a difficult feat for many clubs and organizations. Maybe it’s the lack of outdoor beer pong tournaments or even outdoor concerts (damn noise ordinances), but University students rarely get excited about on-campus activities. But, the Maroon 5 concert was a different story. With little to no advertising, news of the concert was abuzz for weeks around campus. People were interested in going as evidence showed Tuesday by the lines formed at the Concerts’ atrium table. The band was a terrific choice by Concerts, but the location just doesn’t make sense. The show could have still sold out in the arena and been an amazing success for the organization, the school and the students as a whole.

Those in charge of these types of final decisions need to assess their audience. Until the University reaches a level of social interest that activites draw large crowds, it needs to capitalize on its few successes.