 "Photo: Christian Soto / The Advocate")
A blend of solid promotion, eclectic music selections and well-known performers attracted a large group of students to the college’s Summer Jam.
The event was hosted by the Associated Student Union (ASU) and Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society (AGS) in the hopes of bringing Contra Costa College students together on the dance floor, which was held at the Recreation Room Thursday night.
ASU Director of Public Relations Jasmyn Oliver said that approximately 200 people arrived at the event.
“I was amazed with the amount of people that showed up,” Oliver said. “One hundred forty-eight tickets were sold during pre-sales alone, while the other 50 tickets were purchased on the same night Summer Jam was held.”
She also said the purpose of the dance party was not to make a profit, but to encourage students to support ASU and AGS, while still having a great time.
The majority of the money earned was used to pay Police Services for the event.
“We wanted to have some social interaction, as well as academic, with other students,” Oliver said.
Social networking was one of the main reasons ASU and AGS were able to pull in so many guests, she said.
Liberal arts major Rance Oliver was one of the few who took the time to e-mail and surf through social networking sites like Facebook to let students know about Summer Jam.
“Most of the social networking was done by my brother. A lot of the people who went told me they heard about the event through Rance,” Jasmyn said.
The same day Summer Jam was held, ASU members were out on the quad promoting their event using a microphone, which also attracted more last minute guests, former ASU Vice President Henry Parker said.
A varied music selection was another element that attracted the sizeable number of students, as well as keeping their feet planted on the dance floor, he said.
The genre of music played at the event included reggaeton, hip-hop, rap and classics from the ’80s and ’90s, courtesy of the ASU’s Robin Lopez and Tony Tran.
“I thought the (disc jockeys) had a good mixture of music,” Parker said. “The event was definitely cracking.”
Liberal arts major William Peoples said he liked the music they played, especially some of the newer songs from the radio.
Jasmyn said a bulk of the students were there to see Rance perform.
“I liked seeing my peers dancing with one another,” Peoples said.
Summer Jam’s special guest performers also sparked enthusiasm from the students. The event included performances from Sudan Williams, Jay Anthony, Rance and MicDashE.
Jasmyn said the audience went “crazy” over the performances, especially for Anthony and Rance.
Contact Lissette Alvarez at lalvarez.advocate@gmail.com
Be the first to comment on this article!