Promotion of University cultural events in need of a boost

submitted by Caleb Hart

December 5, 2005 —

I was recently in a local ski shop and saw an advertisement for the SVSU screening of the new Warren Miller ski film. I was very pleased to see that SVSU was hosting this event. In the past, the only way to see his films was to travel to Detroit or Grand Rapids. Thus, one must be vigilant to seek out events such as limited release films or art openings.

Unfortunately, it seems that everyone knew about this event except SVSU, and those who relied on the SVSU Web site event information. I spent about a half hour trying to find information about the film on the SVSU Web site and I found nothing. As an alumnus of Saginaw Valley, I was very disappointed. This was a great opportunity for Saginaw Valley to reach a wider audience and to show off its beautiful facilities.

I implore SVSU to embrace its role as a regional center for higher learning and promote events such as this. People in the area should be able to look to SVSU for different cultural experiences. Unfortunately, in this case SVSU failed the community, as local theaters were not screening the film, and apparently SVSU couldn't care less if anyone attended. I call on SVSU to do a better job of internal and external promotion for exciting cultural events in the future.

Caleb Hart alumnus