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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

Students; talents recognized, supported

Gregory Ang, a sophomore exchange student, said he felt terrified before performing his ukulele set at Willkie Residence Center’s Coffee House Open Mic Night on Thursday.

“I only started feeling comfortable after my last song,” he said, laughing.

Although Ang was nervous, students were attentive to his performance. Some clapped along during his rendition of “Stand By Me,” and two students recorded his songs from their seats.

The open mic night provided a small setting for performers and students to gather and interact.

Students were seated casually and offered refreshments before the acts began.

Eight acts were scheduled to perform, including a rapper, ukulele player and other instrumental and vocal performers.

Junior Fafi Banda said this was his first time at an event like this.

Banda lives in Willkie, but said he usually does not know about events like this on campus and that they should be better ?promoted to students.

“I think more people would come if they knew about it,” he said.

This open mic night is the premier event for the Willkie Coffee House ?series.

Junior Cole Zook is a community manager at Willkie.

“It’s the first one for this semester — actually ever,” he said.

The Willkie Coffee House events began this semester, and Zook said they plan to organize one each month.

When planning this event, Zook said they felt an open mic night fit the bill because it went with their coffee house vibe.

Zook said each community leader is in charge of one floor. They plan two events for their floor each month and one ?collaborative event.

These events are open to everyone, he said.

“We take anybody, as long as you’re a student,” he said.

The first act, Allan Kambindama, rapped an original song entitled “Help Me.” Before he performed, he explained the song was about social ?integration.

It was his first time performing since he came to the United States.

Kambindama is an international Willkie ?resident.

His performance was met with applause from the crowd of students.

He said the students’ presence made the performance more “risk-free.”

“It’s as much of a dialogue as it is a performance,” he said. “You get feedback, get ?appreciation.”

Banda said that, for Willkie residents, these events promote creativity in students and allow them to practice their talents in a smaller venue.

“It’s something to start off with,” he said.

With events like these, Zook said, residents can feel acclimated to and affiliated with something within a residence hall. He said it was a community-builder.

“It allows the residents to know that they have a support system and that they have a community,” Zook said. “It allows a sense of (not being) alone while living in a residence hall.”

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