When I found out that University Union had chosen Avicii as a headliner for Juice Jam, I was completely excited. His music is awesome and it gets everyone in a great mood. When I saw the date, however, I was completely bewildered.

I know there has been a lot of debate about the date for this concert; but from someone who lost her father on the terrorist attacks on 9/11, I find it completely insensitive. I’m at a loss for words with the fact that the ‘benefit’ concert aspect is not benefiting those who need it the most on this day: the families who are losing funding because it has been a decade.

My friends and I thought that it was going to be for a 9/11 nonprofit. I know organizations like Tuesdays Children, which provides events and funding for all children affected by the attacks to have our own memorial services and fun events during hard times. The organization could always benefit from funding. Without this organization, my friends and I would not have been able to enjoy our childhood after such an event.

A moment of silence at a techno concert, where many students will not be sober, in my eyes, is disrespectful and hard to achieve. This is such a big day for the state of New York and the country as a whole, and for the home ‘New York’s College Teams’ to overlook it by scheduling such an event on this day devalues the meaning of the day and our loss.

Olivia Vilardi-Perez

Senior anthropology and biology major