A look back at the Duke University Union's budget for last semester shows a trend toward funding large, campus-wide events that appeal to the average student-a shift that may come at the expense of more specific arts-related programming on campus.
Although pricey events like October's Joe College Day, at $35,000, and November's Regina Spektor concert, with a $15,000 after-ticket price tag, demanded a significant portion of the Union's $600,000 yearly budget, the increased popularity of such events was worth the greater cost, said DUU Chief Financial Officer Catalina Blanco, a sophomore.
"We chose quality over quantity [last] semester," Blanco said. "We reduced from the committees that had programs that weren't very successful in the past so as to target events that would be successful."
But several Union committees that focus on specific cultural programming, like film, visual arts and media, have faced budget cuts, said President Katelyn Donnelly, a senior.
For example, the Duke Coffeehouse was allocated $5,716 less for this year, Film Presentations and Film Productions were allocated a combined $32,500 less for this year and Cable 13 received $9,350 less.
"One of the aspects we're still evaluating is, is the Union losing some of its arts and cultural programming as a result of watering down its programming to a common denominator to please everyone?" Donnelly said.
Several students said they appreciated the Union's shift toward hosting big, one-time events, as long as the reallocation did not negatively impact the smaller committees.
"Those [larger] events bring the student body together, and I think that's the most important part for me, to see different groups that don't normally interact in the same place enjoying the same thing," junior Laura Sestokas said.
Cable 13 President Orcun Unlu, a senior, said although groups like his have received less funding this year, the cuts have not been detrimental to the committees' operations.
"For Cable 13, it wasn't that drastic a change and it didn't really affect our programming," he said, noting that the group can also seek sponsorship from other student and professional organizations.
Many students who are not involved with the Union, however, remain unaware of both such budget cuts and how the organization spends student funds, senior Kathryn Wooten said.
"Most students probably aren't aware of how much they're spending on each event, but they're probably aware when someone they like is coming to campus," she said.
Other notable changes to the Union's spending last semester included modifying the Broadway show lineup to include fewer but more famous performances like "Hairspray" and the Second City Comedy Troupe, which both made on-campus appearances in September, Donnelly said.
Although the Union has been criticized in the past for bringing shows that are more geared toward donors and season-ticket holders than to students, Donnelly noted that last semester's shows were well-received and demonstrated a new commitment to students.
DUU spent a total of $38,000 on "Hairspray" and Second City last semester and filled a combined 1,750 seats.
The organization could not provide attendance numbers for last year's Broadway performances, "The Great Game" and "Man of La Mancha," though Donnelly noted that they were "well-attended, but not sold-out."
Blanco said the biggest factor the Union considers when deciding how much to spend on an event is the breadth of student appeal and the approximate cost of the event per student. Speaker proposals are the hardest to evaluate, Donnelly added, because it is difficult to judge how much is too much to spend on a big-name candidate.
"You can have someone that you think people have heard of, but you're not sure if they merit spending $40,000 on them," she said.
The speakers the Union funded last semester, however, only cost $7,000 and $9,000 for John Amaechi and John Waters, respectively. Approximately 200 people attended the Amaechi speech, and Waters drew an audience of 700.
Donnelly noted, however, the value of these speeches was measured by more than just the cost-per-person estimate.
"If all our events were like that, that wouldn't be OK," she added. "[But] if it's well-publicized and it has a positive message, then there's still a reason to bring it to campus."
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