Mud, mud everywhere

It’s been two weeks since Victoria’s Secret descended upon Dunn Meadow and erected its stage for the Oct. 22 Girl Talk concert.

But I’m still upset.

Sure, the concert was great. Everyone I know who went had a great time, and it was really exciting to have a concert outside.

Granted, the concert also raised $5,000 for Middle Way house, and Victoria’s Secret put it on for no charge.

But we should have known better. As my economics professor once told me, nothing can ever be free. There are always costs associated with something, even if they are non-monetary ones.

And what was the great cost of last month’s Girl Talk concert? Dunn Meadow.
If you haven’t walked down Seventh Street lately, you might not know that there is a well of mud masquerading as Dunn Meadow.

It looks like California during the rainy season, or the third day of Woodstock – only less fun.

Victoria’s Secret agreed to pay for the damages to the field, but I say that’s not enough. Because winter is coming on quickly, whatever grass the company puts down in the field won’t start growing until March. That’s four months we will have to suffer with a pig hole for a gathering place.

I’m not the only one who is upset about this. Last week, someone erected a makeshift white sign in the middle of the mud pile. It called the desecration of the meadow an example of the destruction caused by giant corporations.

What’s more is that Dunn Meadow is a historic spot on campus, and to have half of it covered in mud disgraces that history.

Since 1963 when it was officially dubbed the assembling place for the campus, Dunn Meadow has hosted anti-war protests, memorial vigils and large gatherings of all sorts.

Dunn Meadow is supposed to belong to the students. It is supposed to be our place to relax on blankets, to throw Frisbees, to challenge administrations. It isn’t fair that one event has rendered our collective gathering spot out of commission until spring. 

I like the idea of having concerts outside, but the next time Union Board helps to sponsor an event in Dunn Meadow, they need to make sure we aren’t going to be paying interest on that concert for months to come.

Future events must be held to stringent rules so that we protect Dunn Meadow.
Any artist that contracts to play there should be required not to repair the damage afterward, but to make sure that this sort of damage doesn’t happen in the first place.
More careful planning could potentially have saved Dunn Meadow.

And if those requirements scare away some artists or make it so we have to have all of our concerts in the IU Auditorium, so be it. The history and heritage of that space is worth preserving.

Sacrificing Dunn Meadow for the better part of the school year is too high a price to pay for a “free concert.”