Becky Kimmel
Editor-in-Chief
The Union will be a little quieter tonight following the decision of the band, Diet Cig, to cancel their show.
Earlier in the semester, SAB entered into negotiations with Diet Cig to book the band for this Wednesday. As is custom with every band who performs as a part of SAB’s B-sides concert series, they are sent a contract, in advance of the show, outlining Messiah’s expectations as well as values as a Christian College, according to Danielle Ran of the Messiah College Office of Communications.
“Diet Cig did indeed countersign the contract and our rider, and then cancelled,” says Kevin Villegas, director of Student Involvement and Leadership programs, but correspondence between Messiah College and Diet Cig remained respectful and gracious.
Ran says that there was no animosity expressed between the two parties, and Villegas agreed stating, “[the band’s] communication with SAB was cordial throughout the process and they did not convey any negative sentiments toward Messiah when they communicated their decision to not accept our invitation to perform here due to not sharing ‘the same opinions’.”
When bringing bands to campus, SAB uses their ‘TRAQ statement’ to assess which bands make the cut. TRAQ stands for, ‘Truth communicated, Relevance, Appropriateness, and Quality.
The band has since taken to social media to explain the cancellation to fans.
“It was brought to our attention that [Messiah College] has some really serious anti-LGBT policies + we have no desire to support or benefit from an institution that discriminates against its LGBT students/faculty/staff,” read a screenshot attached to the tweet.
“The College certainly respects Diet Cig’s right to disagree with our position, and to decline our offer to perform here. It is our hope that these types of situations build a stronger mutual understanding and respect of each other’s values and convictions,” Ran says.
There has not been another band scheduled to perform tonight in place of Diet Cig, according to SAB advisor Julie Cline.
The Pulse has reached out to Diet Cig for further comment.