On November 7, an open mic night, usually a popular event, was supposed to happen in The Grill. This event was hosted by Cavalier Radio and nobody signed up to attend, and the event was an absolute bust.
There were many emails sent to students and posters advertising the event. Students saw these, and still stayed away.Cabrini University has a rich history of on-campus events. However, over the years, because of a decrease in the student population, attendance at campus events have plummeted.
Disappointment in The Grill
On the day of this event, The Grill was nearly empty. The only people either had to be there for a class requirement, or worked for Cavalier Radio. The event was quiet until finally, the Cavalier Radio team did their best attempt to save the day.
Senior digital communications and social media major Isaiah Dickson started by doing a bit of standup comedy. Brianna Mack, a senior music industry and communications double major, followed it by singing “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. Though the Cavalier Radio team tried to get people involved, it seemed almost as if those who were there wanted nothing to do with it.
Planning for the event
Though there was not much attendance at the open mic night, a lot of planning went into it. Senior digital communications and social media major Hannah Poggi is the social media manager for Cavalier Radio and hosts her own show called “The 411.” She was also a part of the setup for the event. She said, “I had to create a Canva flyer that gave all the info for the open mic night, so I basically just created my own template, customized it, and gave it to Professor Doyle, and he sent it out. We also sent out a Google form to everyone’s Cabrini email, and no one signed up.”
When asked if she thought people saw it, Poggi said, “There were flyers around campus, but I don’t think a lot of people saw because I don’t think people pay attention to the walls. I also think a lot of people do not want to go to events because they feel like no one will be there if the school is already closing.”
Students’ perspective
Senior business management major Julian Varona offered a clear example of the kind of thinking Poggi described. “I saw some flyers and I saw an email about it but I didn’t really think about going,” he said. “The school’s closing and there’s not as many students. It was also a Tuesday night, so I wanted to just come home and relax.”
Varona made a point that others could definitely agree on as it was a Tuesday night. During the week, college students work very hard throughout their days. After a long day of work, students tend to go home and finish up homework and relax after, saving the social life for the weekends when they have earned it.
Varona followed his statements by giving the opinion of if the event was on the weekend he would have been more inclined to attend.
The long-held traditions of Cabrini are quickly disappearing. However, even though students seem to have lost interest in campus events such as this one, student groups will keep planning them and hoping others will attend.
