Between the election results and the revealing of the Spring Fest lineup, UB has been buzzing with end-of-the-year commentary, all of it revolving around the Student Association.
Students who attended the Comedy Series show last Saturday night received the Spring Fest lineup of rappers - Tyga, Fabolous, and Rick Ross, first. Immediately following the show, Facebook timelines and Twitter feeds erupted with reactions to the news.
On the surface, it seems SA made sure students knew to voice their opinions. However, some say SA didn't deliver on the level it was expected to. According to the survey results given by SA, headliner Rick Ross was voted eighth by students with 1,014 votes, only 5.4 percent of the total 18,587. Supporting acts Fabolous and Tyga only gained 6.8 percent and 5.1 percent of the 17,576 votes for supporting acts, respectively.
According to SA President JoAnna Datz, the artists mentioned in the surveys are determined by the SA's budget and whether the artist is touring sometime in the upcoming months, which in this case was mid-November. The first seven acts, ranging from crooner Chris Brown to British folk band Mumford & Sons, were listed as unavailable to perform but reasons why were excluded.
"This survey can never be perfect because artists and [tour] managers are consistently changing their plans...this survey had a fair representation of tangible [options] forthe SA, but unfortunately some acts...already had other commitments," Datz said. "We did have another act that was higher on the list lined up, but unfortunately, they became unavailable as we were going to contract."
As to be expected with a school as diverse as UB, not everybody was pleased with the full roster of rappers. However, efforts by SA to please students were definitely acknowledged, as this semester's lineup has not caused the same uproar it did for last semester's Fall Fest featuring The Fray, White Panda, and 2AM Club.
When news of Fall Fest's lineup was revealed in September, students immediately took to the SA's Facebook and backlash ensued. Last semester, The Spectrum reported 75 percent of posts following the Fall Fest announcement were negative. Fortunately for SA, any negative student reactions this time around were buffered with opposition from their counterparts.
"For starters, this video [from UBTV] is hilarious. Having said that, the capacity people have to complain is astonishing. Hate on the lineup, hate on the video for the lineup, hate on the SA. Trust me, I like a good SA bashing from time to time just like the average UB student, but you gotta pick your battles," said one student commenting on the announcement video featured on SA's Facebook page.
Last semester, surveys sent to students via email and Facebook resulted in approximately 3,000 votes, a miniscule amount considering UB has about 19,000 undergraduate students.
According to Datz, SA's Entertainment team set up tables around campus and encouraged students in person to vote in order to gain a better sense of what the entire student body wanted. Social media and campus-wide emails were also distributed during the three-day voting window, Nov. 14-17.
Along with the 18,587 votes submitted for the headlining acts, other questions asked in the survey concerned preferred musical genres, which gained a total of 12,876 votes, and possible supporting acts, which received a total of 17,576 votes.
Another notable change from last semester's shaky Fall Fest was the reestablishment of moving the concert back to Baird Point, which explained the delayed show date.
"[April 29] was the most preferable date we could have had. It is leading into artists' summer touring dates [and] maximizes our chances of having an outdoor show when you consider Buffalo's crazy and unpredictable weather," Datz said.
Spring Fest will take place April 29 at Baird Point at 7p.m. Non UB-undergrads can purchase tickets at any Ticketmaster location for $30.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
