Program Board's fall events arise from student input, good timing
There is no shortage of Program Board concerts and events for Central Michigan University students this semester.
The announcement of artists like B.o.B. and The All-American Rejects have been met with positive reception, according to Program Board Adviser Damon Brown. B.o.B. and The New Boyz will perform at the CMU Events Center on Sept. 28. Tickets, priced at $12, $15, $20 and $25, go on-sale to students Wednesday at Tickets Central.
"During Leadership Safari everyone was talking about B.o.B. and telling their friends at home about it," Brown said.
The process Program Board uses in deciding which acts will perform includes factors such as discussion with various performing agents and a campus-wide poll of what music genres students would most like to hear.
"Program Board is run by all student chairs and once we are approached and get information from agents, around 30 to 50 members consider the offers," Brown said. "It stays really student-based."
Getting students excited about connecting to CMU's campus life was the goal of Program Board's planning this semester, Brown said.
"We wanted to start off with big names that most students know," Brown said.
According to Brown, Program Board's budget has stayed the same as last year and the number of big-name acts this semester is in part due to good timing for both the university and the featured performers. The All-American Rejects, for example, are coming to campus as part of a larger college tour they are co-headlining with fellow alternative band Boys Like Girls.
"The All-American Rejects we were especially fortunate to get because CMU students have been requesting a rock concert like this for years," Brown said. "The All-American Rejects, B.o.B. and 'Batman' producer Michael Uslan all essentially fell in our lap. We are very fortunate to have lots of good things going on this semester."
As for the spring semester, Brown said the type of events Program Board brings to campus will continue to depend on what is available and touring around the area at the time.
"We usually try to have spring's events set by Thanksgiving to have plenty of time for promoting and selling tickets in January and February," Brown said. "We usually try to have at least one major speaker and concert, and look for good names at a reasonable cost for students"
