ECU looks to host a venue in downtown Greenville

The downtown Greenville entertainment scene might be getting some more Pirate pride within the next year.

ECU is currently in the conceptual stages of planning an entertainment venue for students to enjoy downtown.

According to Dean Smith, the associate director for finance and administration, the idea of the venue is just that--an idea.

"It's important to note that housing a venue downtown is a concept that we are currently assessing," said Smith. "We are not completely committed but it is something that we are definitely taking interest in."

Smith notes that ECU has submitted paperwork that will be reviewed by the state over the next few months. The process is said to be long and tedious, possibly spanning over several months.

Currently, students can enjoy various venue-like locations on campus for live entertainment, including the Pirate Underground in Mendenhall, the MSC Brickyard, the bottom of College Hill and the Mall area in the center of campus. Even Todd and West End dining halls are increasingly being used by organizations for events.

The proposed venue could even expand to include meeting space during the day for organizations and administration. This can help ease parking woes on campus and give people a unique opportunity to meet in a different environment.

Smith adds that although the exact location of the venue is an important factor, there are many other concepts of the project to consider.

"We have debated whether it will be limited solely to ECU students, whether it will be non-alcoholic or non-smoking, along with many other aspects to take into consideration," Smith said.

These decisions will be discussed not only with administration, but with a planning committee that includes students.

"Although it is still a concept, we still want to generate student opinion in order to determine how they want the venue to be," Smith said.

One of those students is Courtney Redd, who thinks the idea of ECU bringing entertainment to a downtown venue is exciting.

"I would definitely go, because it would be awesome to not have to drive to Raleigh or even another state for a decent show," said Redd.

Just as anyone would have requests, Redd's only demands are for ECU to make the venue non-smoking and free to ECU students.

"A lot of places downtown I don't enjoy going to anymore. While I love the bands, I usually hate the venue because it's so smoky," she said. "I also believe that ECU students shouldn't have to pay a cover charge, but non-students should."

Crystal Packard, who graduates in December, thinks the venue will be refreshing for students to enjoy entertainment off campus.

"Although I won't be here to see it happen, I think current and upcoming students are being given a great opportunity," said Packard. "This can definitely help people get off campus and out of Mendenhall Student Center to a different and lively location."

This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.