I hope I’m not the only one saying this:

Thank you, Calvin College, for keeping the Fun. concert.

It’s not that I’m not frustrated by the prohibition of REVERB. If nothing else, this is a startling case of poor timing given the recent Princeton Review listing and subsequent petition. I do understand why Calvin won’t give $1 per ticket sale to CCT, since beyond increasing prices this could also be seen as financial support of an organization that opposes the CRC’s position on homosexual marriage. Still, I don’t fully understand why the presence of REVERB  on campus is an issue.
Lingering frustration, however, is not the point here. Rather, this article is a genuine thank you.

The last time I attempted to write for Chimes was two years ago when the New Pornographer’s concert was cancelled. This time I’m writing because, in contrast, I trust the maturity of the decisions made. This is firstly because the concert is still being held. Secondly, it is because there will be no censorship of Fun.’s performance on stage (thank God) and because something tells me the Calvin community will get the chance to ask Fun. about their music and their values. These decisions are striking to me given that the cancellation just two years ago was due to the band’s name. This time, Calvin has an actual ethical dispute with the diplomatically titled Fun.  and yet this dispute is not stopping the concert. That says to me that the situation for the arts at Calvin has greatly improved in reasonable time.

So in short, thank you, Calvin. Today I’m proud to be a student here.