Morehead State University - Raconteur Yearbook (Morehead, KY)

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Under the direction ofStage Manager, Senior Craig Dennis tnot showm, hired students, Allen Hardin, Danny Markwell, Bucky F ranks, Mike lost, and Ken Ferrell spend the entire day getting the stage, sound and lights ready for that night's performance. PHOTO BY: Kevin L. Goldy Keep the front row in the front row was Bucky Frankst 60px senior from Sandy Hook, job. Franks was a security personnel for the Lee Greenwood concert. PHOTO BY: Kevin L. Goldy Take it in, put it up, take it down, get it out. Concert workers for the EEO Speedwagon show, David Dugan, Ken Ferrell, and Tim Hood, spent Novem- ber 20 unloading stage equipment. PHOTO BY: Kevin L. Goldy Con C an Workers 73

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Work That's Worth It! any people do not realize exactly how much work goes into preparing for a concert, but some stu- dents on campus could tell you it involves more than just 3 bands performance. These students are concert workers, who often spend as many as fifteen hours setting up the stage and tearing it down for rock, country and popular musicians who come to campus. Concert workers get paid minimum wage to load and un- load equipment, set up the lightning and sound systems, ar- range the bands gear and make sure everything runs smoothly during the show. Student secu- rity guards are also on hand to make sure that the crowd stays under control and that no one gets in without paying. uI usually do lighting? said Mike Jost, a junior business and finance major from Lewisburg, WV. TI drag wires, hook them l IL. up, set up rigging, hook up microphones i J andjust generally bust my butt. , 4 So why on earth would anyone want to put in a whole days worth of strenuous concert preparation? Itis fun! said senior ' 1L Wayne Palmer,abusiness management ma- , a jor from Lexington. iiTheres also some money involved and you get to meet some really interesting people. Palmer said the work really begins the show is over. The concert stall must then start the tear down procedure. This involves unhooking all the wires and lights which were so carefully connected just a short time before. Workers must also disassemble the stage, load the bands equipment onto trucks and clean up. Everyone is in a hurry to leave and tempers sometimes flare after a long day of work, said Palmer. uSometimes the road crews travelling with the bands can be real jerks. They donit ask for things; they tell you. were not professional concert workers, but they may expect us to get it right the first time anyway, remarked lost. 4? J W5 aaflitll Tamar iiPreparing for a show is hustle, bustle, boom-boom-boom, Iost went on to say. iiYou really don,t have time to think how exhausted you are. Everyone tries to set up everything at once. Itis organized chaos. Jost called tear down organized chaos in reverse, but said that after you had done it a few times it becomes second nature. Now I know instinctively how to set up and tear down sets, he said. Concert workers are usually excused from their classes since a concert is not an everyday event. uMost of my professors will usually excuse me to work concerts because they understand the need for money here at school. Only one has ever given IX me a hard time, said Iost. f t The work is hard, but it usually has its rewards. Palmer has worked at many shows both on campus and at Rupp Arena. Through his work he has met or seen such bands as 38 Special, the Beach Boys, Howard Jones, Weird Al Yankovic, Berlin, Midnight star, Otis Day and the Nights, Rush, and AClDC. Many friends are made and lost over the matter of the backstage pass which each concert worker gets. uGirls sometimes make interesting offers for my pass, but I am in no position to accept, Iost commented. Females arenlt the only ones after my pass, thoughf, he added. West Liberty native Craig Dennis, a senior business man- agement major, is the student manager of the workers. The workers are chosen after signing a list in the student activities office. Because of the difficulty of the work and the large number of applicants who apply for the limited number of jobs, workers are chosen by the amount of experience they have. It takes a strong back and a weak mind to work a concert, Jost said. iTm basically a gofer, but I love every minute of it? Story By: Karen Craigo Photos By: Kevin L. Goldy Features 72

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C C his course is good experience for anyone? em- phasized Lelana Tierney, Adjunct Professor and Supervisor of the Home Management House, YSo many people do not realize it is not just for Home Economics students. Tierney, an alumnus of the University, had this experience herself when Palmer House was used for the Home Manage- ment House. The class is now listed as Supervised Home Management Experiences and living in the Home Manage- ment House for six weeks is required. It is set up so that students are in an actual home environ- ment, said Tierney. uI give them a lot of written information, different types of meal service, household tips, and household hints, things that they can keep and maybe use later, grinned Tierney. There were a lot of students, especially those that were not married, stated Tierney, that have expressed the fact that they Ywere rudely awakened after having lived in the house. uThey did not realize it took so much time planning menus, going to the grocery store, fixing meals and cleaning up after- wards. Jennifer Porter and Hillary Combs, both seniors from Ky., are j ust two of many that have conquered this difficult course. ilIt was one of the hardest classes I have hadf' Combs de- clared, uMost people look at home economics and say, Oh, thats so easy,, but you,re trying new recipes, youire tformal- lyi entertaining. There is a lot of math involved. It is more of a science. You learn the nutrients you need each day for a well- balanced diet, you learn the difference between fabrics, such N 0 place like our house as between ramie and cotton. You understand the relationship between supply and demand. You learn how to relate whats on paper to real life. By using our knowledge, we saved a lot of money, and we had fun, too. tilt tthis coursel was a good experience overallf, Porter stated, liIt helps you as a person as much as it helps you in your profession. Eiticiency involves time and money. It involves decision-making. You learn comparisons and how to make value judgments and price research. Time, also, is an impor- tant part. YThe most traumatic experience was when we were having a brunch for the faculty and staff and the sewer backed upf, laughed Tierney. YHillary was taking a shower when I first discovered it, quipped Porter, uBut because the water receded we thought it was taken care of. So then I went to take my shower. Thatis when lithe commode started overflowing? Combs said, uand the drain water was coming out ofthe commode. YBut maintenance came and turned the water off, said Tierney, uand we were trying to clean all of this up. We had to delay the brunch for a couple of hours but surprisingly every- thing went really smooth. It was a learning experience. e By: Christie Sheppard 8: Suzanne Smith . Supervised Home Management students are required to run a house on their own for six weeks. Hillary Combs, a senior from Knott County, practices her greetings with roommate Jennifer Porter, senior from Morehead. Both lived in the House Fall 1987. PHOTO BY: Donna Seward