LDOC budget hits a lower note

The Last Day of Classes may have a budget that is “down like the economy,” but the committee is still trying to make it a day to remember.

The LDOC Committee is working with fewer resources, as a number of sources of funding are providing less financial support than in the past.

“A smaller budget for LDOC just means we have to think more creatively and focus on using our resources differently,” said Duke LDOC Committee co-Chair Liz Turner, a senior.

LDOC Treasurer Maria Pavlova, a senior, said the committee has spent $115,000 on LDOC so far. She estimated that each student contributes about $20 to the fund. And although the total fixed budget from student activity fees jumped this year to $106,331 from last year’s $101,000—due to the increasing number of students on campus, reduced funding from student groups and increasing costs have resulted in less spending money for the committee.

“I see this as an opportunity to make LDOC better, allowing for the party atmosphere to continue but also giving opportunity to people who just want to enjoy the day,” Turner said.

The committee had to repay a loan taken last year of about $13,000 from DUU because LDOC went over budget by about $17,000, according to a letter sent by DUU and LDOC leaders last December. DUU provided the loan from its reserve fund, separate from its operating budget.

Earlier this year, DUU offered the committee $15,000 for LDOC 2010 and an optional $5,000 to be repaid at a later date. The LDOC committee took the contribution, but declined the loan.

Campus Council lowered its sponsorship this year to $15,000 from last year’s $25,000 to be conscious of the economic downturn and to hold equal financial stake in the event as DUU. Out of pocket, DUU and Campus Council together contributed $30,000 without factoring in this year’s loan repayment. Last year’s contribution from the two groups totaled $40,000.

The committee has also significantly reduced its spending on headliner artists in order to meet its smaller budget.

This year’s LDOC concert features music artists Jay Sean and Flogging Molly. Turner declined to comment on the exact costs of those artists—citing potential legal issues—but acknowledged that this year, the committee spent “nearly half as much” on artists as last year and 75 percent as much as the year before.

Turner said that reducing the spending on artists will allow the committee to provide a different range of activities for students to enjoy throughout the entire day.

“The big-name artists are awesome, but spending as much as we have in the past is absurd,” she said. “This year, we want quality artists that are realistically within budget.”

Turner said that although the committee looked at top performers, it did not ultimately consider hiring musicians like hip-hop artist Drake, who she said would have cost almost as much as this year’s performers combined.

End-of-semester trouble away from Duke

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill experienced similar budget problems in booking musicians for this year’s SpringFest, said UNC senior Amanda Kao, president of the Carolina Union Activities Board.

The activities board puts on concerts for the university’s annual SpringFest that usually takes place in April. Two years ago, Boyz II Men performed inside the Dean Smith Center for $75,000, Kao said. Such performances will no longer be possible because UNC’s union does not have its usual financial support from other student organizations: the Student Congress and the Residence Hall Association.

“The artists have also been raising their contract prices, and it has gotten much more difficult,” Kao said. “We really have to get lucky to find an artist who offers a reasonable price and has wide recognition.”

Northwestern University also hosts an end-of-the-year celebration called Mayfest, said Northwestern’s Mayfest co-Chair Katie Halpern, a senior. Mayfest holds events throughout the month but culminates in an LDOC-equivalent called Dillo Day, which boasts a budget of about $250,000, Halpern said.

In previous years, the Dillo Day budget has been increased to adjust for inflation and rising costs, but that did not happen this year, Halpern said.

“Finding big headliner artists was definitely an uphill battle this year,” she said.

Halpern said that about six headliner artists perform throughout the day and night during Dillo Day, and past headliner artists have included N.E.R.D., Lupe Fiasco and DJ Vega.

“We work with a budget of about $250,000 for Dillo Day, but we receive funding from student organizations,” Halpern said. “Dillo Day really takes priority because it’s such an important part of the culture at Northwestern.”

To account for a flat budget this year, Halpern said her committee had to seek more co-sponsorships than ever and had to work extremely hard to receive extra funding from different campus organizations. Dillo Day also receives financial assistance from the university. For example, the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs funds security for the event, Halpern noted.

LDOC footing more bills

Unlike Mayfest organizers, however, Duke’s LDOC committee found itself covering more costs than usual—even after facing reduced funding from campus organizations.

Turner said the committee will be paying for Duke Police, emergency medical services and Staff One Services to provide security for the event. These costs were previously covered by Student Affairs, Turner said, adding that she was not sure how much these expenses will cost the committee.

Duke’s LDOC committee has been forced to get creative to cut expenses. LDOC T-shirts will be sold for $3 to $5 instead of being given out for free, said senior LDOC Committee co-Chair Christie Falco, a senior. Charging for shirts will save the committee about $10,000, she said.

The committee also actively pursued corporate sponsors and struck deals with Coca-Cola and Vitamin Water, Falco said. The two corporations will donate their products, which will allow the committee to save money on beverages.

“[Corporate sponsorship] is something we started this year and in the future we should able to save a lot of money from corporations,” Falco said.