In commemorating the university's birthday, MSU's sesquincentennial logo can be seen everywhere. There's of this advertising and pride, but the turnout for some of the events hasn't been great.
So far, the best the university has offered is a Water Carnival, parade and Jay Leno.
Only 3,500 people attended the Water Carnival, an event where students designed floats able to flow down the Red Cedar River. The parade drew a few thousand people. Jay Leno attracted only 4,000 — even though 4,500-5,000 tickets were available, and they most likely lost money to bring him.
Considering MSU has more than 40,000 students, plus thousands of faculty members and staff (not to mention alumni), this isn't a great turnout.
The university has budgeted $500,000 for the sesquicentennial. We're seeing money poorly spent. Cheap fireworks, bad comedy and a documentary we have yet to see shouldn't be representative of 150 years.
A 150th anniversary celebration needs more than a parade, water carnival and of all people, Jay Leno, to be called a success.
Yes, the Water Carnival was a great idea. Seeing as how the carnival was an annual event 36 years ago, it really brought a feel for what events were like in MSU's past. The parade's seemingly small attendance can possibly be explained by bad weather and a longer parade route, resulting in a more scattered audience.
But, Jay Leno? His prime was about 10 years ago. He is not an MSU alumnus and doesn't have much to offer us as opposed to other entertainers. Leno might have been the best entertainer available, but this is our sesquincentennial. It would have made more sense to have an alumnus who knows something about our history and would make the sesquincentennial more memorable.
Although there are more sesquincentennial events scheduled until Founders' Day in February, this was supposed to be a major event-filled weekend.
MSU has a history and it should be commemorated with events such as the Water Carnival. Such historically oriented events might be cheaper, too. It's hard to cater to both students and alumni, but there must be a better way.
