It’s good to know my money is paying for others, even those who are not Eastern students, to have a good time. Maybe I can deem it my good deed to society and be happy about it. But I can’t.

I am opposed to the $5 a semester concert fee. I was against it when the idea came about. I am still against it today, even after the University Board did actually bring in a bigger name band. I wasn’t the apathetic student last year when the fee was up for a vote; I voted no, so I have the right to complain now.

In the past, without the concert fee, Eastern wasn’t able to bring bands to campus because of a money issue. Eastern continually lost money on concerts and was in debt. It couldn’t sell enough tickets to cover its costs. Now the concert fee generates about $50,000 a semester, a good base to bring in a band. They can charge all the students for entertainment not all of them want and then charge those who want to attend just a little bit more.

If enough Eastern students really wanted to have concerts on campus, they would be willing to pay more money. No one would have to implement a fee to make sure costs are covered.

I know we have many fees attached to our tuition bill that people complain about paying because they never use the service. The concert fee is different, however.

People may not want to pay the athletic fee because they hate all sports and won’t ever step inside the arena. But athletics are part of being in school, and the players are your classmates. The athletic fee is one students should just expect. Also, it’s more convenient to pay the fee and not have to pay for each time you go to a game. With the concert fee, students still have to pay when they see a concert. You may not like paying a health service fee because you don’t trust Health Services, you believe you’re immune to sickness or you have a doctor nearby. Still, the Health Services fee is good protection.

We pay for the union/bond revenue fee, but probably everyone has gone inside the union at some point.

Concerts, on the other hand, are not generally thought of as part of college life. Sure, college students like music, but a concert fee is not something I expect to pay for at school.

On top of my general dislike of the fee and the fact that I’m helping to pay for other Eastern students to see concerts for a cheap proce, I’m also upset I’m helping people who are not even students at this university attend the concert for $10.

The general public, anyone not an Eastern student, to my understanding, was supposed to pay $15. Well, did anyone in charge catch onto the loophole that Eastern students could buy multiple tickets, thus buying tickets for visitors, non-Eastern students? I know it happened, and it’s not fair.

Maybe I’m whining, but why should I have to pay $5 a semester, so a non-Eastern student can still only pay $10? Any Eastern student who attended the concert also has a right to be upset because while they paid a concert fee and a ticket price, others only paid the $10 ticket price.

It’s only $10 a year, so it’s not that big of a deal, right? As college students, we all know $10 is a big deal. That $10 could buy groceries, help pay the water bill, pay for a night out to see a movie. I could find many better ways to spend that $10. But on the brighter side, I’m helping others see concerts, and hey, at least I’m not a freshman who has to pay $40 over the course of his or her time here.