Kean Students Unhappy about Homecoming Guest Performer

By Isaiah Joseph  | Published by November 17, 2021

Homecoming week this year was much welcomed after 18 months of remote learning, but you can’t please all the people all the time.

As everyone was enjoying the homecoming festivities, a specific event that was planned had students questioning if the school understands them: the reveal for this homecoming’s guest performer.

The reveal of the homecoming guest performer was announced on October 6th on the keanstudentgov Instagram profile feed which showed 5-times Grammy award nominee, rap artist Swae Lee.

Students that opposed Swae Lee as the performing artist believed that the artist isn’t as popular as he used to be back in 2016. After he dropped his hit single Black Beetles which tied with the famous trend we all are familiar with the “Mannequin Challenge.” Many said that after his small burst of fame, the artist has fallen off tremendously and is now seen more like a featured artist.

As seen under the student government’s comments section, some Kean students were not happy about the chosen performer.

“Y’all could’ve gotten a Michael Jackson hologram.” one student commented.

“Ya continue to fail us every time.” one student said

Students questioned the student government’s selection of the chosen artist. Many still believe that Swae Lee could have been replaced with a more popular artist that was in the area during the week of homecoming.

Student government president Jason Pleitez said “As Student Organization we work with an agency to pick guest performers for our special events. Once a decision is made and a guest artist is selected from the list provided by the agency then the artist can choose if they would like to accept or decline the offer provided. Student Organization, the agency, and staff work together to ensure we pick a performer that the Kean community will enjoy.”

Jokes were being thrown back and forth between students as they continued to vent their frustrations towards the post.

On the other hand, many other students were excited about the artist coming to campus to celebrate their homecoming with a concert. With admission only being $10 they were sold out swiftly once tickets became available to both students and off-campus individuals.

The President of Kean’s student government Jason Pleitez was aware of the situation that the students were having with the guest performer.

“Yes, we were aware of both the positive and negative feedback once the special artist was announced. Our biggest concern for the fall semester was making sure Kean students had the opportunity to have and attend the homecoming concert in person. In the end, we had a great turnout for the concert and students really had a great time regardless of the feedback given the day the performer was announced.”

On the day of the event, Kean students prepared themselves for the concert many thought would be a disaster but as it turned out the concert was truly amazing, exciting, and an amazing experience.

Comments under the student government’s Instagram page were spammed with fire emojis and heartfelt gratitude thanking Kean’s student government for inviting Swae Lee and throwing an amazing and memorable show during this year’s homecoming.

“Student Organization is more than satisfied with the way everything turned out. Swae Lee’s performance had a lot of energy and it made everyone in the crowd and backstage feel excited. He even shared with us that the audience made him feel very welcomed, loved, and special. Seeing the great crowd turnout and the reaction of students and staff, let Student Organization know we achieved our goal of making the fall in-person homecoming concert a success.” Pleitez said

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