The price of Bob Saget
Bob Saget is renowned for his grade-A raunchy comedic act. He's one of the biggest names to visit campus in years.
He's also probably one of the most expensive.
Program Board's reluctance to reveal the price of Saget's visit, "contractual obligations" or no, is flawed. Program Board is funded through the university, which is a public institution. The public has every right to know Saget's cost.
We applaud their efforts to bring Saget to campus, and we are confident his performance will be a hit.
Positive or not, however, his performance comes at a cost - one that is footed by a public institution.
Saget's cost is relevant. It is worth looking at how much the university is investing in comedic performances. It is worth looking at how much of Program Board's budget was spent on this venture. Being part of a public institution means being open to public scrutiny.
The university takes great care to ensure much of its financial records are online, from personnel salaries to construction projects.
One of its largest student organizations, Program Board, cannot suddenly be exempt from this transparency. It is wildly inconsistent to say that a professor's salary is public but a big-name comedian's performance is not.
If there are serious contractual issues, then it is up to Program Board to take the steps necessary to make this information public. The group's leaders should have known better than to agree to a contract that would attempt to privatize obviously public information.
It's understandable that both parties want to keep monetary matters private. Disclosing the cost may open Program Board, and even Saget, to some flak. But this is criticism that they have to take. If they are not willing to take criticism, then they should not be using public funding.
In today's economy, the last thing the university should do is keep hidden funding that flows to performances, even if only through a student organization.
