Dear Editor,

I am writing in regard to James Yoon’s article “Despite
Lofty Ambitions, Upcoming Campus Nightclub Misses Mark,” in which he degrades
the Loft as being “overly artistic and mature” for undergraduate students.
Rather than presenting an eloquent argument, Yoon contributes to the
“apathetic” and “socially dead” campus climate he criticizes. Such hypocrisy is
inherent within the article, as Yoon begins by describing “the administration’s
earnest effort to respond to concerns over the lack of an on-campus community.”
He complains about how the “extremely small” space for 130 people, along with
the possibility of having an interactive iPod jukebox, wine bar and LCD screen,
would undermine the on-campus undergraduate experience. Rather than “alienating
and possibly irritating students,” the intimate setting of the Loft would
encourage true social dialogue. The opportunity to converse with the people who
are playing their music or even share one’s own is great for meeting new
people. Having experienced the small house concerts hosted by Sixth College in
which students can take turns sharing their favorite music, I know that the
programs available at the Loft would encourage a cultural exchange and foster
new friendships.

“The overly artistic and mature environment of the Loft also
poses an issue as it fails to serve diverse audiences … too fancy and
over-the-top for many college-age undergraduates,” Yoon argues. He adds that
the Loft would only serve a specific niche of the undergraduate population,
when in truth it has the potential to provide a plethora of eclectic
programming (one only has to look at the ArtPower! 2007-08 season to see the
artists that are already scheduled to perform). I believe that the
undergraduate years are the most important time to take advantage of the myriad
of cultural events that are available here at UCSD. Yoon’s assumption that the
undergraduate population is too ignorant to enjoy such a venue is offensive and
invalid. The undergraduate population will continue to view the Loft as “too nice,”
if they are unable to enjoy the upcoming events. Yoon represents the quotidian
bourgeois who become unsettled when something new comes along outside
materialistic values or conventional attitudes.

The Loft will be a new space on campus unlike anything UCSD
has ever seen. It is important that students not only enjoy what the Loft has
to offer, but also the multitude of events put on by A.S. Programming and other
campus organizations. UCSD is a university that requires the student to be
actively involved in discovering what he wants to engage in. Yoon’s article,
and opinions like it, contribute to the negative stigma of UCSD being moribund.
Enjoy the Super Smash Bros. tournaments as I look forward to socializing with
my fellow students at the Loft.

­— Micah Jones

Sixth College Senator