Students may have more to look forward to at next fall's football season than the hope of a win.
At the Jan. 29 Student Association Senate meeting, the Senate approved a proposal to co-sponsor a concert with the Department of Athletics during next year's UB football home opener.
According to John Lambert, associate athletic director for external relations, the goal of the partnership is to bring in a prominent artist to the football home opener with the hopes of boosting attendance for the rest of the season.
"We want a band that can appeal to students on a national level, not a local one," said Lambert.
According to SA President Christian Oliver, the partnership is not only a good way to get students involved with on-campus activities, but it also helps the athletics department fill seats in UB Stadium.
"Athletics was already looking to do this and without (help from SA), the event would be similar to the Rockin' Rallies in the past," Oliver said. "With our help, we could make this a student-oriented event."
Last year's "Rockin' Rally" featured headliner Pat Benetar, but Oliver said he hopes the halftime performance will attract bands of the Sugar Ray or Smash Mouth caliber.
Lambert said the concert itself is expected to last 18 to 20 minutes.
Though Spring Fest and Fall Fest aim to showcase some of the biggest names around, Oliver said the focus of the halftime performance would be to book an enjoyable band that can be hired for a relatively small amount of money.
SA will provide between $25,000 and $30,000 to sponsor the event, and the athletics department will pick up the rest of the tab, said Oliver.
"(Spring and Fall Fests) cost about $250,000 each," Oliver said. "In the concert business, this ($30,000) isn't really a large amount."
The funding for the performance will come from the mandatory student activity fee, Oliver said, adding that the budget for the Spring and Fall Fests would not be affected.
SA Senator Gregory Haynes said his only concern is the price of the event. "I think it's an excellent deal," he said. "I tend to prefer a $25,000 range instead of $30,000, but the idea is solid."
With a high student turnout, Oliver said the concert has potential to become a yearly tradition for UB; however, the SA Senate would need to approve founding for it each year.
Kevin Newman, a senior linguistics and philosophy major, said the turnout would be a direct result of what talent SA can book.
"It sounds fine," said Newman. "Although it does depend largely on what band they bring in."
Although there are currently no definite bands lined up for the concert, Lambert said the athletics department and SA have teamed up before to provide entertainment for students.
"We've co-sponsored events in the past such as Penn and Teller, Indigo Girls, the Joe Mesi Fight and (a skateboarding performance by) Tony Hawk," Lambert said.
Lambert said he hopes the concert will be a trial for larger football-related events in the future.
"Perhaps it will evolve into an after-game event, maybe in Alumni Arena," Lambert said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
