Technical problems with the Student Activities Board speakers at the Coffeehouse put on by Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia men’s music honorary couldn’t stop student musicians from shining on Oct. 18, even if sound quality was poor.
“It wasn’t even about the quality of the sound, it was about getting the sound out there,” said junior Sang Jung Lee, a member of Phi Mu Alpha who helped run sound at the Coffeehouse. “I got there around seven, and I realized that the sound was really crappy.”
Lee explained that while setting up for the event, SAB’s main speakers didn’t work, forcing PMA to use monitors and a personal Bose speaker instead. Sound was muffled, a singer singing too loudly would cause the monitors to cut out, and at times the sound was so weak that it struggled to fill A.J.’s Café.
At 8 p.m. the technicians gave up trying to fix the sound.
“It was the equipment. It was not within our power to fix the problem,” Lee said. “I felt really mad—all the performers worked hard to perform at Coffeehouse and I feel like the sound system didn’t do them justice.”
Coffeehouse is not the only student event that had issues with malfunctioning equipment or unavailability of SAB speakers and other SAB sound equipment. The Hillsdale Hepcats Swing Club and The Well worship group have also been having issues.
“If I don’t have speakers, I don’t have swing club,” Senior John Walsh, president of Swing Club said.
After discussing the club’s inability to obtain speakers due to recent changes in SAB speaker loaning policy, Amanda Bigney, director of student activities, suggested that the Swing Club approach Student Federation to get funding for sound equipment of their own. The Swing Club was granted $500 by the federation to buy sound equipment.
After having issues with SAB sound equipment in the past, The Well, which usually meets in Phillips Auditorium, avoids use of SAB equipment when possible.
“The equipment is kinda jank,” junior Timothy Allen, co-leader of The Well, said.
Sophomore John Becker, who manages sound for The Well, agreed with Allen.
“Because I know SAB equipment isn’t reliable, I don’t even try it,” Becker said.
Bigney said SAB was unaware of speaker issues.
“We haven’t heard or noticed any issues with the speakers and whether there have been any availability issues, ” Bigney said in an email. Though The Well, Phi Mu Alpha and the Swing Club all had similar problems with the program, they offered different ideas on how to fix it.
“This is Hillsdale—we like tradition and the setup SAB has worked pretty well, it doesn’t make much sense to change it,” Walsh said.
Walsh also said speakers for each club would be good, if it were possible.
Allen and Becker at The Well and Lee with PMA take a different approach.
“Honestly, I think it would be cool if they got a quote and they bought quality sound systems,” Becker said.
Becker also said he thinks SAB needs to have greater accountability over the speaker loan program so that equipment isn’t used improperly and is returned on time.
“Student Fed has all that money. They should invest in a huge system,” Allen said.
The night of the Coffeehouse, a petition created by Becker to draw attention to the sound issue received 90 signatures. The petition has since been turned over to the Student Federation with well over 100 signatures in hopes of getting funding for new sound equipment to be used by student groups that would serve as an alternative to the SAB speaker program.
“If there’s a problem, We’re always interested in fixing it,” said senior David Wilhelmsen, president of Student Fed.
