UNC will not host LDOC event

This year’s last week of classes saw campus visits from Dave Matthews, Jimmy Fallon and President Barack Obama.

But it won’t feature any programming sponsored by the Carolina Union Activities Board.

In past years, CUAB has showcased acts for LDOC like indie musician St. Vincent and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Both acts were in Memorial Hall.

But this year, the venue was not available for a major LDOC event, said Lauren Sacks, CUAB’s program advisor.

“We’re subject to the performing arts series as well as other events and rehearsals, so there weren’t any dates available in Memorial Hall for the end of April,” she said.

“So if we don’t have access to any major venues on campus, that really limits what students are able to program.”

Sacks said that though the organization tries to generate LDOC programming every year, sometimes it just doesn’t happen.

“It’s something CUAB aims to do every year, but it’s not set in stone,” she said.

Naomi Roznik, a UNC sophomore, said she would have liked to see CUAB sponsor an event for this year’s last day of classes.

“I mean, anything compared to President Obama today is kind of dwarfed in comparison,” she said.

“I didn’t know that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was coming last year, but to have a celebrity like that this year would have been really great.”

Senior Madison Phillips said that she wanted to attend last year’s event with Gordon-Levitt, but she couldn’t make it.

“As a senior, it was sad that they didn’t have an event this year because I didn’t make it to any of the other years — it was on my bucket list,” she said.

“But there’s lots of other stuff happening on campus, so it’s still going to be a great day.”

Sacks said that UNC students often feel a sense of competition with Duke University’s LDOC events — which have included performances by rapper Kanye West, alt-rock band Third Eye Blind and local piano pop musician Ben Folds.

“Duke has a specific student fee for LDOC events, so that makes it a challenge to compete with them,” she said. “We have to ask, ‘What is LDOC for UNC?’”

Phillips said that though Duke’s events for the last day of classes are impressive, she doesn’t feel that UNC falls short.

“We get a lot of great events throughout the year — like Jimmy Fallon, which I just got out of,” she said.

She said that she’d rather keep UNC’s consistency of programming than have Duke’s annual spectacle.

“Duke looks forward to this huge blowout every year,” she said.

“But I wouldn’t trade that for a year’s worth of great events.”

Contact the Arts Editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.