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The Daily Tar Heel

CUAB and CAA ask for student input in planning 2012 Homecoming concert

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that a whiteboard on which students may write suggestions for Homecoming acts will open April 18 in the bottom of the Carolina Union. The whiteboard will actually open April 4. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.

Plans for UNC’s 2012 Homecoming concert have already begun.

And Tom Low, incoming president of the Carolina Union Activities Board, wants to make them more transparent.

“Organizing the concert is an extremely detailed process,” he said. “The best way to describe it is bureaucratic.”

The Homecoming concert is co-sponsored by CUAB and the Carolina Athletic Association. Both organizations host all Homecoming activities.

Indie rock band The New Pornographers headlined the 2011 concert. The show sold about 703 of 4,500 available tickets, or 16 percent. CUAB lost about $63,000 on the show.

For this year’s concert, the student body will have more opportunities to give input on the acts they want to see, Low said.

Starting April 4, there will be a whiteboard in the bottom of the Carolina Union where students can write their ideas.

“We do ask them to try to be realistic,” Low said.

“We can’t afford Jay-Z and Kanye West.”

Low said members of CUAB will take photos of the board every few hours to ensure that all suggestions are taken into account.

Kimmy Summers, major events chairwoman for CUAB, said students can also send their input to the committee through email.

“We want student opinion to be more involved and tangible,” Low said.

He also said the process of selecting Homecoming acts is more complicated than some students may think.

“There are three pieces that kind of have to align — the date we want, the artist we want and the price we want,” he said.

CUAB began the year with a budget of $364,000, Zoey LeTendre, program adviser to CUAB, said in September. CUAB receives one-third of student organizations fees — about $13 per student per year.

In November, a new student fee was proposed to attract bigger acts for the Homecoming concert.

But this fee will not be in effect next year, Low said.

“The survey didn’t have enough of a response for us to go through with it,” he said.

In the fall, The New Pornographers were contracted to perform at Carmichael Auditorium for $49,000. Low said the contract is only part of the concert’s total cost.

After costs of production, security, hospitality and publicity, the 2011 concert’s total expenses were around $74,100.

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“People ask why we don’t get someone bigger,” Low said.

“It’s not just a question of can we afford Lady Gaga’s contract — logistical pieces are a humongous part as well.”

He said it’s important for students to understand that planning and paying for the concert is a process.

“We can’t just do it overnight.”

Contact the Arts Editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.