A 24 Year Hiatus no More
By: Chris Hogan
Managing News Editor
In order for UB to make a name for itself, there was a lot of chatter among the Student Programming Board [SPB] on how to bring back excitement to the campus this spring. Dating back to last October, the idea of having a spring concert was a student movement project that finally became a reality last week.
The consensus among SPB was that hip hop artist Jeremih would be the best fit to perform in the 2012 UB Spring Concert in April. The American garage rock band The Fleshtones, were the last to perform on campus in 1988.
Jeremih, is known for his 2009 hit single “Birthday Sex” and 2010 song “Down on Me” featuring 50 Cent. The decision to choose him came after 150-300 student surveys were conducted and the results revealed that hip-hop and R & B were the most popular music genre among the student body.
Darren Ganesh, President of SPB said that having a concert on campus will help bring the student body together.
“Being a part of the programming board and a member of the student government as well, I know student spirit is a big thing that the school needs to work on and it’s lacking,” Ganesh said. “It’s something we are trying to bring back. We are really trying to make a difference and shed a positive light on UB. It’s been 24 years and we think by all means this will be a very good step towards that direction.”
Majority of the student feedback that was received about Jeremih coming to perform was positive and some were even surprised based on their expectations according to Ganesh. Funding for the concert will cost the university between $15,000-20,000. In order to handle the process of bringing an artist to come to campus, UB worked with an outside agency called Concert Ideas, based out of Woodstock, NY who is the biggest concert production company amongst colleges in the country.
After collaborating with Concert Ideas, Colleen Powers, Director of Campus Activities and Community Services said that there was a long process in order for the approval of Jeremih to perform at UB.
“We had to put in a bid letter, which had to be reviewed and signed by the administration on campus and once the bid was signed off here, it had to be submitted to the artist,” Powers said. “They accepted the bid and that’s how we knew the concert was definitely happening.”
Freshman Salihah Fairweather said she is very excited to see what Jeremih has to offer when he comes to campus.
“I think that as a freshman here at UB seeing an actual hip hop artist here is pretty awesome,” she said. “All the students love him and I’ve never seen an actual hip hop artist before until this April. So I love the idea of him hosting the spring concert.”
Tickets for the concert will go on sale online Saturday, March 10 at 12 p.m. for all UB students for $20 with a $3 convenience fee at Bridgeport.edu/springconcert. There will be a link there to connect you to the appropriate site to purchase them. General admission tickets are $35 and will include a $3 convenience fee if bought online. You can also obtain a hard copy ticket at the Campus Activities office room 231 located at the John J. Cox Student Center starting on March 19. There will be no additional fee if purchased in the campus activities office. All tickets are non-refundable.
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the show will start at 8 p.m. in Merten’s Theater.
“We are here to have a college experience,” Ganesh said. “Let’s have it and enjoy it.”
