Program Board spends nearly $100,000 in fall semester
While contracts for the "bigger musical acts" are still being finalized, Program Board President Kaylee Bloom said the organization is turning its focus to comedy for the spring semester.
She said the genre has experienced "a lag in recent years" in terms of event planning.
"I wouldn't be surprised if future Program Boards pick up on the comedy a bit more," Bloom said. "We just wanted to go the route where we're going to have a couple of smaller (comedians) than one big one."
After selling 1,042 tickets for comedian Nick Swardson in September, one comedy act per month is scheduled for the spring semester.
Of the nearly $99,600 spent on campus events in Fall 2015, Swardson was paid $37,500. Civil rights attorney Jasmine Rand was paid $8,500.
Director of Student Activities and Involvement Damon Brown said his goal is to spend all of Program Board's $232,000 allocation from the Campus Programming Fund by the end of the spring semester.
Events scheduled for the spring semester
Comedian and hypnotist Chris Jones will take the stage at 7 p.m. on Jan.21 in Plachta Auditorium.
Other comedians will include Johnathan Burns, whom Bloom likened to "Napoleon Dynamite," Barry Brewer and Aisha Alfa.
Like the fall semester, a spring semester survey was not distributed to students before finalizing the events calendar.
"Program Board did not publish a survey in regards to our spring events. We looked upon the survey that was administered last academic year for some fresh ideas as well as utilized social media for input," Bloom said. "We have to be careful with surveys, as many of the ideas students provide are unrealistic for the student community."
Bloom also hopes to establish a "Movie Thursday" event during the spring as a way for students to relieve semester stress.
"We will be showing quite a few movies next semester which (the organization) is super excited about because a lot of (the films) are new," Bloom said.
Films on the docket for the spring semester include "Trainwreck," rap group N.W.A.'s biopic "Straight Outta Compton" and "Mockingjay Part 2."
Program Board also plans to partner with the Office of Student Activities and Involvement for Siblings Weekend, which will take place on Jan. 29 and continue through the weekend. During that time, the organization will be showing Disney's "Inside Out" at 7 p.m. Jan. 29 in Powers Hall.
Bloom also hinted at providing a magician for the event, though plans for such have not been finalized yet.
Several lecturers are scheduled to speak throughout the spring semester, including the wife of University President George Ross.
Elizabeth Ross will speak at 7 p.m. on March 24 in the Bovee University Center Rotunda as a part of Women's Empowerment Month. Her lecture is not related to President Ross' own Walking Together discussion which debuted in early December.
"(Ross') lecture will revolve around what it means to be a woman, the struggles we face and how we can move forward in (the field of) women in leadership," Bloom said.
Mental Health advocate Ross Szabo will speak at 7 p.m. on Feb. 8 in the Rotunda. His presence was requested by Program Board due to the high rate of seasonal depression students experience during the winter months, Bloom said.
"(Szabo) is very big into mental health and changing the stigma behind it," she said. "It's a really good time for that event because winter is a typically a time when students go through a lot of depression and mental health issues which he really tries to change the stigma behind."
The music and arts festival Maroonziee will be the final event of the spring semester which will being at 12 p.m. on April 29 in Finch Fieldhouse. Because Gentle Thursday and Gentle Friday will not take place the week prior to finals, now taking place at the end of March, the event will begin while classes are still in session.
Bloom is confident, however, this will not greatly effect attendance.
"This has been a little bit of a change for us since (the university) has changed the schedule," Bloom said. "Having class on that day might actually help us in the long run, in terms of attracting waves of people."
