The opportunity to see classmates and professors perform when the Campus Activities Board hosts an Open Mic Night on Wednesday, January 27, at 7 p.m., in the Colvard Student Union.
The free event, held on the first floor in the Dawg House, gives students and faculty the opportunity to showcase their talents.
The night promises entertainment ranging from musicians and dancers to comedians and poets. Sixteen acts will perform. Open Mic night has become somewhat of a tradition, with CAB sponsoring at least one every semester.
Samantha Musil, assistant director of the Campus Activities Board, said when it started is unclear, but that it has been put on for some time.
“We’ve been doing it for the last four years. The show probably came about because there are some pretty talented people on campus,” she said.
She stressed that the event is open to all genres and not just a singer-song-writer exhibition.
“It is a really very diverse crowd. There are some who read poetry, and some faculty are ‘regulars’ each semester,” Musil said.
Yet, some students interviewed around campus seemed to be somewhat unaware of the upcoming event.
Michael Peacock, a junior majoring in computer science, typified that general impression.
“I hadn’t heard anything about it, but it sounds like a cool idea,” he said. “It just all depends on the quality of talent there.”
Perhaps, as Peacock aptly put it, the most important part of a talent show really is the contestants; and CAB’s limiting the contestants to 16 might just do that. But how will this affect turnout?
“More contestants might [increase student turnout],” he said. “I would probably go for sure if I knew someone in it.”
Matt Hinton, a sophomore majoring in broadcast meteorology, said the possibility of faculty members as contestants might influence attendance.
“It would be pretty fun to see a professor I’ve had get up there in front of everyone,” he said. “And I do think some faculty will get involved.”
Hinton said he believed it was a good idea and a way for students and faculty to express themselves.
“It’s a good way for people to show off their talents. I mean, you’re not going to go out on the drill field and start singing,” he said.
For other students, the factor of time plays into their ability to attend.
Andrew Robertson, sophomore architecture major, said he thinks it is a good idea.
“I’ve heard about it for a while, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to attend,” he said.
Robertson, along with many of MSU’s students, are busy mid-week but as he points out, the idea is a very interesting one.
“It’s pretty cool to show that students can see that teachers aren’t just boring,” he said. “I really like the faculty aspect.”
But it still remains to be seen what faculty and students will be showing off their talents tomorrow.
Musil said she encourages students to stop by and check it out for themselves; she said it has always been well received in the past.
“It is a good event to watch as well at participate in,” Musil said.
CAB is a student run organization responsible for providing activities for students, staff, faculty and members of the community.
For more information on this event, call Roxy Ditto at 325-2930 or visit their Web site msstate.edu/org/cab.