Gig sound level agitates Tivoli employees

By Lori Vaughn
The Metropolitan

When the band Mary Madness performed on campus Nov. 5, it rocked the student union and racked the nerves of many people who work and own businesses in the building.

Metro Student Activities sponsored the band as part of its Gig Series. Every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., various musicians and bands are invited to provide lunchtime tunes on the Tivoliâs first floor, next to the Food Court.

But not everyone likes the bands. One detractor is Yolanda Ortega-Ericksen, Metroâs dean of Student Life, whose office is on the third floor in the Tivoli.

ãIt was so loud that it ceased to be music to me and turned into noise,ä Ortega-Ericksen said of Mary Madness.

Student Activities Programmer and Gig Series organizer Richard Alexis Smith said he will not compromise with critics who resent the volume level and genre of the musicians.

ãI will change absolutely nothing, and I would tell those people who complained to get used to the idea,ä

Smith said. ãThe Gig Series is going to happen one day a week, and if you donât like it, then you need to take walk.

ãPeople just have to get used to the idea of it happening, period.ä

Dennis Bryan, the Tivoliâs program and conference manager, said the Tivoli doesnât have a formal policy for sound levels and several people working in nearby businesses and student lounges have complained about the noise level of Gig Series bands.

ãThe primary concern should be the opinions of the students and if the students complain, then something has to be done,ä said Jim Hayen, Metro Student Government Assemblyâs vice president of
Student Organizations. ãThey need to respect studentsâ wishes.ä

ãI think the music can be distracting,ä Hayen said.

ãThey should search for music that is entertaining without being overly disruptive.ä

Student government President Karmin Trujillo offered another perspective.

ãI think the problem is a mixture of both the type of music and the sound of the music,ä said Trujillo, who also works in the Club Hub on the third floor of the Tivoli. ãPeople have double standards. If they like the music, then it is OK to blast it. But if they donât, then it is not OK.ä

Smith said the Gig Seriesâ main problem is finding musicians whose music can deal with the acoustical problems plaguing the Tivoli. These problems are blamed on the buildingâs structure.

The sound is amplified as it rises through the main atrium of the Tivoli and reverberates through the hallways, Bryan said.

ãThis building is extremely difficult to accommodate soundwise because of the dynamics of the building,ä Smith said. ãWe are actually fighting the acoustics, and I think the acoustics are far more important than the people who complained.ä

Volume standards were not the only criticisms Smith has encountered. The musicians invited to perform have also come under attack.

ãThe music is not exactly what the students want to hear,ä Metro freshman Marquis Jiggitts said. ãYes, it is diverse and cultured, but I believe that student groups/bands would be much better.ä

Overall, the Gig Series has received excellent feedback, Bryan said.

ãI have seen many positive visual responses to the music, such as students bending over the railing to see bands play,ä he said.