Along with warmer weather and melting snow comes Winona State University’s annual spring concert, sponsored by the University Programming Activities Committee, UPAC.
Each year, after surveying the students for their interests, UPAC selects an artist for the concert. This year, the committee decided on Akon to come to Winona.
While some students say they look forward to going to the concert on Saturday, April 5, other students and some staff say they disagree with the choice.
Ryan Pluemer, a junior, started a Facebook group for students against Akon coming to Winona. He said he wasn’t sure how Akon was selected or why people would want him as the performer.
“I was kind of angry that they would invite somebody like that to come,” Pluemer said. “I just think his lyrics are distasteful and he’s done some bad stuff in the past.”
Pluemer said he never saw anything about voting so he was confused about who made the decision.
“I’d be happy with anyone, but someone who doesn’t sing about f-this and f-that and all that garbage because I don’t think that’s music at all,” Pluemer said.
Other students said they weren’t happy about the choice either. Some said they see his lyrics as misogynistic or disagreed with his past actions.
Cindy Killion, a professor in the mass communication and women and gender studies department, is planning a forum to discuss Akon as the spring performer.
Killion said she doesn’t want to use the forum, Blingin’ and Bangin’: Hip Hop’s Dirty Secret, to attack Akon, but to get students to think about what they are listening to and why.
“My attempt is not to just be a raving feminist, but to look at hip hop and how it’s manufactured as a symptom of deeper issues in our culture in terms of race relations and gender relations,” Killion said.
With the forum scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 27, at the Smaug stage, Killion said she thinks it’s time to start talking about the issues so people can better understand each other.
The forum will include senior Jason Zimmerman, the director of UPAC, giving an explanation of the selection process.
Also, senior Courtney Ault, president of Fight for Our Rights and Gender Equality, FORGE, will give a feminist critique of misogyny and homophobia.
Killion also said there will always be people who aren’t happy about the spring concert selection. Joe Reed, the activities director for the Student Union, agreed that not all students are going to be happy with every performer.
According to Reed, the selection process is more limited than students think. He said it starts with all artists and gradually narrows down to artists who are touring on college campuses.
“We get who we get, we can’t please everybody,” Reed said.
Reed said he anticipates selling out the show to Winona State students and he thinks that is good since the student’s activity fees subsidize a lot of the cost of the show.
According to Reed, Killion invited him to be a part of the panel discussion. He said he declined because he doesn’t know about all of the issues, but he isn’t against the forum happening.
“She wants to make it educational, bring up some stuff and hash it out,” Reed said, “so, in a way I think hey that’s fine, it brings some issue to the floor.”
He also said it really comes down to what the students want and what he has to do to get that for them.
“Is rap degrading against women? Yes, some of it is. Am I a fan of rap? No,” Reed said. “But it’s not about me, it’s about the students. Students are the ones who do the polls, pick the bands and it’s my job to make it happen.”

Contact Courtney at CLZinter8738@winona.edu