The excitement of a new year at the University culminates in an annual, unsanctioned event called “Block Party,” which occurs the Saturday prior to the start of classes. By the very nature of the event, it attracts large amounts of underage drinkers, many of whom have never before consumed alcohol. In many ways, these circumstances are a recipe for disaster, and as a result, the University administration has issued many warnings aimed at deterring students from attending the event, especially in light of a sexual assault that allegedly occurred at the event just last year. Anticipating that college students might not take such warnings as seriously as they ought to, the administration sought to deter students from attending Block Party by having renowned hip-hop artist J. Cole perform at the same time. Still, it is likely the concert will do more harm than good in the long run.
My primary concern regards the timing of the event. According to the University website, the concert was to start at 9 p.m. Of course, just like with any other concert, there is an opening act preceding the headline artist. Yet, the opening act lasted longer than J. Cole’s act, and that is problematic. J. Cole, the man thousands of students had anxiously awaited to watch, did not come on stage until 10:42 p.m., nearly two hours after the start time of the show, and he was off the stage before break of midnight. Thus during this time, students grew antsy and I personally saw many depart the concert altogether around 10:30 p.m.
The fact that it took nearly two hours for the main performer to take the stage gave me and many of my friends who attended the impression that the event organizers intentionally made the time of the event earlier than it had to be, simply to keep students off of Wertland Street. Certainly, there is a good chance this was not intentional, yet it nevertheless allows for the disheartened feeling that we were misguided.
I and all who attended the concert had a great time and enjoyed it thoroughly. However, I feel the impact of misinforming the student body about the timing of the event might hinder the credibility of the administration if they try to take a similar approach in years to come. Although the John Paul Jones Arena website does imply there would be two opening acts, word travels quickly amongst students, so it is not unfathomable that students next year will hear that going to the concert “isn’t worth it” because of the excessive wait to hear the headline performer. Instead, they might elect to attend Block Party instead. I feel the interests of the administration would have been better served had they adhered more closely to the timeline they established. For instance, had they stated what time the main act would start, the administration would have successfully directed students away from Block Party without straining its trust with the student body.
The “community of trust” University students and faculty revere so much extends further than the honor code. This “trust” implies members of the University will be transparent with one another about everything, even as seemingly mundane as the start time of a University-sanctioned concert. The consequence of misleading students in this way — whether by intention or not — erodes the trust that binds conflicting factions of the University together. Thus, many students were more than willing to attend the concert both because J. Cole is an outstanding artist, but also because they believed the information they received was wholly accurate.
The concert itself was truly a great experience and likely did serve as an effective alternative to engaging in the risks of Block Party, as did the events at the AFC after the concert and Chi Alpha’s “Something in a Mug” event. Yet, I find it difficult to shake the feeling of being misguided, and so do many of my peers. Thus, I urge the administration to try their best to continue to bring in celebrity artists such as J. Cole in the future. At the same time, I would urge them just as much to be sure the information they distribute to students is as accurate as possible, because if it is not, then the erosion of trust between the student body and the administration will cause such concerts to lose their effectiveness.
Jesse Berman is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at j.berman@cavalierdaily.com.
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