Electronic music has come under scrutiny in the past month because of its alleged relation with the abuse of drugs. Rave-style concerts have a reputation for drug experimentation, but the recent deaths of a number of college-aged people at electronic music events has reignited their scrutiny to levels previously unseen.
The deaths were allegedly caused by the misuse of the illegal drug methylenedioxy methylamphetamine (MDMA) which commonly goes by the slang titles of “molly” or ecstasy.
Both of these words, however, have become umbrella terms for a much more extensive list of drugs whose effects mimic those of MDMA but are generally much cheaper to produce. The lack of regulation in sale of MDMA due to its illegality has caused both the frequent contamination of the drug with additives and the widespread distribution of the under-researched copycat substances, either of which may attribute to the recent surge of incidences.
U-Mass Amherst has cancelled three of its concerts for the first semester of 2013 due to worries generated by the tragedies earlier this month.
Those concerts were Return to Fantazia, Pretty Lights and Above & Beyond.
Erin D’Aleo / Equinox Staff
“Unfortunately, the factors that led to cancellation of the September 21 concert have not positively shifted. In fact, we have grown even more concerned about ongoing reports of overdoses at such events,” explained Interim Vice Chancellor Enku Gelaye, according to an article on the U-Mass webpage.
This decision has received some disapproval itself because of U-Mass having scheduled a concert with rapper Trinidad James, whose most famous song is an anthem to MDMA, later on in the year.
It was recently announced that the fall concert at Keene State College will feature 3LAU, a house music producer from Washington. House music is a style that falls into the electronic genre, so the decision to choose 3LAU may come under criticism as the concert draws closer.
At this point however, there is less of an outcry and more of a careful concern regarding the event.
Instead of changing plans, the Social Activities Council is taking initiative in informing students and creating a situation that is safe for everyone involved.
“I think that proactive caution should be taken, so talking to the community and the campus about how to not abuse these drugs, how to avoid things like this are very necessary, but I don’t think that you should take away an entire experience for a group because of certain people’s poor decisions,” said SAC President Meghan Murphy when asked about how the SAC is preparing for the concert.
“Knowledge is the best way to prevent it, being able to know what’s happening and what you can do to stop the situation,” explained Ryan Mahan, the Events Coordinator for SAC.
“I know that the school has taken actions to make people informed of what’s going on, the health center is well aware of the issue and will be working to prevent anything negative from happening,” he continued.
“Our organization has a really strong relationship with Campus Safety and KPD. At all of our concerts, we have that sort of presence there. All our student workers who are doing security go through training with Campus Safety, they go through a briefing and a debriefing of what’s expected and what we’re looking for in a safe environment,” Mahan said.
“I think that going through the health and wellness center, who knows how to deal with these issues, is the best approach,” Murphy said.
“If [this warning] comes from an authority standpoint, you might feel like you’re being told what to do, whereas when it is presented by the Health and Wellness Center, you know that it was put together by people that truly care,” SAC Concert Coordinator Alicia Berry said.
“Because the concert is still a few weeks away, no specific security plan has been laid out, but Campus Safety and KPD are more than well-aware of any kind of issue or any kind of precautions that need to be taken, which will be passed to me and then passed to whoever I have working at the concert,” explained Natasha Young, student relations and security representative at SAC.
Reactions to the decision by students on campus are mixed.
“I don’t have any concerns with it, instead it makes me think that the school is trying to show that EDM can be separate from drugs and bring a more positive light to the controversy. That’s if it goes well of course,” senior Regan Driscoll said.
Others were less optimistic.
“I’ve yet to go to an EDM show but I think that the crowd that kind of music brings isn’t always the best to be in with. MDMA in particular seems to follow this kind of music and I don’t think it gives the school a great image. Also, with all the recent deaths, the last thing we want is to have something go wrong on our campus,” junior Eric Farnsworth explained.
“At all of our concerts, our most important outcome is the safety of all of our students. So even when we do security, we’re not there to persecute people, we’re there to make sure that you don’t get hurt,” Murphy said.
For more information, students can consult SAC, the Health and Wellness Center, or Campus Safety.
Brendan Keenan can be contacted at Brendan.keenan@ksc.keene.edu