UAA Concert Board student fee referendum will be on ballot

By: Staff Apr 7, 2008

Students work hard to help their program grow

ANCHORAGE, AK – UAA Concert Board members and student volunteers successfully gathered over 950 student signatures to get the UAA Concert Board “Bigger and Better Shows” student referendum on the USUAA ballot. The student referendum seeks to have a $10 student fee for students taking three credits or more. Students will have a chance to vote for the referendum during USUAA elections on Tuesday, April 8 and Wednesday, April 9.

The UAA Concert Board is a student fee funded organization that brings nationally acclaimed entertainment to UAA. The Concert Board presents a diverse selection and previous artists include filmmaker Kevin Smith, comedians Tracy Morgan, B.J. Novak, Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood of Whose Line is it Anyways, and musicians Bright Eyes, Cursive, The Mountain Goats and Bearfoot. This referendum seeks to increase the Concert Board fee from $5 to $10 per students taking three credits or more. The Board has never received a fee increase since its creation in 1992.

During the Concert Board’s 15 years at UAA, prices for artists, airline tickets and hotels have increased but the Board’s budget has not. The current fee limits the Board’s capacity to continue to bring major artists to Anchorage. This referendum will enable the Board to bring bigger, better and more frequent shows to UAA. The increased fee would allow the Board to keep student ticket prices low and hopefully present two free shows to students during the academic year.

Major name entertainment brings more notoriety to the University and enriches student lives. It also offers more opportunities for students to become involved in concert production and promotion. Major entertainment events would draw larger audiences that would significantly raise the Concert Board Special Project Fund. Students can apply for grants from the Special Project Fund to finance their own events, programs or projects. This allows individual students and student groups to continue to increase the quality of student life at UAA.

For more information or to arrange an interview with the Concert Board call Zac Clark, Concert Board Coordinator, at (907) 786-1210 or e-mail at zac@uaa.alaska.edu. For more information on the USUAA elections visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/unionofstudents.