Whenever a Passion Pit song comes on the radio or someone mentions going to the band’s concert last year, I can’t help but grin. The concert was absolutely incredible, nearly selling out and making last year’s Homecoming one of the best we’ve had in years.
That is always the goal, but I’m afraid that this year’s New Pornographers may not compare. Duke and N.C. State University often get the Passion Pit-sized artists for Homecoming, and it saddens me that UNC has not been able to keep up. Much of concert planning is luck — luck with artist schedules, with pricing and with venue — and we got lucky with Passion Pit. But we’re not going to get that lucky every year. There is certainly room for improvement.
It’s an old line, but it’s true: We just don’t have the money. The Carolina Union Activities Board is the only major sponsor of the Homecoming concert. The board receives $13 per student every year, but Homecoming is only one of many activities CUAB is responsible for, so we cannot spend all of our funds on Homecoming alone. Unless students are willing to change the way we pay for Homecoming, I’m not sure our future concerts will be any better.
It is for this reason that I am proposing a Homecoming fee for a vote this spring. The money from a fee, in conjunction with funds from the Carolina Athletic Association and CUAB, would finally allow for us to bring the artists that students want to see. And unlike some of the other fees students pay, students would know exactly where the Homecoming fee is going.
In proposing this new fee, CUAB will be conducting two surveys: one to gauge how much a Homecoming fee would ask of students, and another to get a better idea of what genres of music and artists students would like to see. We’re hoping these surveys will take the guesswork out of selecting artists and ultimately provide a more exciting, more inclusive Homecoming for everyone.
Finally, a new committee will manage the fee and select the artist. This committee will include representatives from CUAB, student government, Student Congress, CAA, the General Alumni Association and four other students selected through an application process. This committee will diversify the opinions being offered for a Homecoming artist and will assure that student fee money is being used wisely.
For those of you attending the concert Saturday, I hope you love it. And to those of you who have decided not to go, I hope the new Homecoming committee and fee will provide a better experience in years to come. Either way, remember: As our motto goes, “CUAB <3s you.” We’re going to prove it.
