Northwestern has many great groups that allow students to be involved on campus. These groups make the college experience fun and exciting, and they also help individuals grow to be a better version of themselves.
They include different clubs, music groups and theatre groups. They all add value in different ways. However, I do have a problem with one group: the Black V.
The non-sanctioned improv comedy group puts signs up all across campus. Normally, I do not have a problem with putting up signs. It’s a matter of where they put them.
Doors, door handles, walls and on outdoor signs. You could almost see a sign for this group from anywhere on campus when they have a performance coming up.
This may be good advertising, but I think it has a negative effect. It makes campus look cluttered. The grounds crew takes great care of our campus and having standard paper signs all over campus takes away from the work the grounds crew has done. It would be best that the Black V put signs where every other group puts them.
There is also an abundance of these signs, and I am wondering where this money is coming from.
I understand that paper does not cost that much, but the men’s tennis team could use some of that money to increase their budget so they can go on a spring break trip like the baseball team does. The tennis team is even better at basketball than the baseball team, so the tennis team probably deserves to go on a trip more. Instead, we fight for every penny while the Black V freely spends on these exuberantly placed signs.
Instead of advertising by printing paper and ending our environment, they could send out an email or advertise by more of a digital way. It is 2020 after all.
I know we get a ton of emails, but it would be much more cost effective and would, of course, save the trees.
I have not even been to one show of this group. I’m sure they are a very talented group. It is just their advertising that causes me a great deal of stress.
A name of one of their shows was the “Vajama Show.” I know most of NW students are pure and clean-minded but not everyone is.
This is just a poorly phrased title and has resulted in various inappropriate jokes and comments dealing with the production.
Another concerned student, Nick VanRijs, said, “From somebody that is not qualified at all about naming improv shows, they should pick better names than the ‘Vajama Show.’” People like VanRijs and I are concerned about the well-being of campus. I am not critiquing this group because I do not like them but because I care about them and the campus as a whole.
The last problem I have with this group is that their shirts do not always match what their name is. The letter is a different color than what the name of the group is. VanRijs raised this valid question, “Why do they wear the black shirts with a white V more than the white shirts with a black V?” This seems like false advertising, and they could be at risk of spending some time in jail.
Of course, I would never want this to happen, so I am bringing it up so they can fix it and stay out of trouble.
If the Black V can change the way they advertise, I foresee a greater approval rating for them among the student body. They are a great group, and I wish them nothing but success in the future.
