In 2011 I chose to attend ASU because it embodied the values that I have more than any other University in the United states. Those values were inclusivity as was evidenced by their willingness to accept nearly everyone that applied. And opportunity which was apparent through their innovative career programs such as Biomedical Engineering (the program I started in). Eventually my course work took some twists and turns and I began studying Biotechnology, then eventually a general Biological Sciences degree with a business minor. I chose these twists and turns since they allowed me to graduate sooner and have more choice in the coursework which I took.
Today I feel like ASU has fallen flat on its face in the quest for inclusivity and opportunity. Those values have gone by the wayside in favor of retirement dollars and quite frankly bullying the very same student population they are supposed to serve. Today they served a slap in the face to one of the most creative, open, and caring communities I have ever known by using their retirement community Mirabella to shut down Shady Park. This doesn’t sit well with me as a member of the queer community since Shady Park has always been the bar that I felt safest at. It has always been a place where I felt safe being hand in hand with a fellow dude, and was always the choice venue to catch my favorite artists at. While ASU cannot take my memories of this loving place they can take my pride in being a Sun Devil. They can choose to make me resent the school that offered me so much opportunity by choosing to shut down one of the most innovative areas of town, the entertainment district, slowly, venue by venue.
Now I know Shady Park won’t go down without a fight. We are Sun Devils and were properly schooled in how to raise hell – legally. And you best bet that we will do everything in our power to save this community building. And that fight has been led with innovation, including reversing the venue to eliminate ambient noise and bringing in engineers to make sure that legal decibel levels were never exceeded. While the future of Shady Park remains unknown to me, you can be assured that the community would rather see the building go vacant than ever be sold to the greedy developers that want to raise the building and build another soulless high rise. We will continue to speak to our elected officials until this decision is reversed and we will look into any legal ways in which we can continue the spirit of this building. Whether that means investing heavily into transforming the venue into a world class silent disco, raising money to buy the monstrosity that is Mirabella or simply winning the appeal and getting right back down to boogie. Rest assured, the battle isn’t over and Good Will Prevail.
By Brandon Lopez
Class of 2016