U.C. Takes a Loss With Rock

Question: If the Undergraduate Council estimates that 500 people went to the Chris Rock concert, tickets cost an average of $10--the council gave 300 away free--and the event cost $11,000 to stage, how much did they lose?

Answer: a lot.

When the final ticket receipts are tallied up by the Sanders Theatre box office and Holyoke center today, the council will probably have subsidized the concert to the tune of approximately $7,000, according to Campus Life Committee Chair Rudd W. Coffey '97.

Coffey said that the council had planned to subsidize about $2,000 or $3,000 of the concert.

"We hoped to get 1,200 people to show up," Coffey said. "We gave away around three hundred tickets, so we figured if we sold out, we'd just about break even."

Coffey offered a number of reasons for the lower-than-expected turnout.

"I think we underestimated the number of activities that were going on that weekend," Coffey said. "We thought since it was reading period, there wouldn't be too much going on. But it was first weekend of reading period, so there was a lot more competition than we thought."

"Possibly why comedy concerts went so well in past was that they were on the Thursday before spring break, when people were just blowing off and didn't have anything better to do," Coffey added.

Coffey said other factors might have been that publicity for the concert appeared late, the ticket price was too high or the council overestimated the popularity of the evening's star.

"We sold out David Spade last year," Coffey said. "But we went to Saturday Night Live [featured come- dians] three times in a row, and maybe weoverestimated [Rock's] popularity."

Coffey said that while the council is notpleased with the turnout, it is not giving on upplanning big events.

"Because of the finance committee rolloversthis year, we'llhave a large rollover for next year," Coffey said."So, since we stayed in-budget this year, we willstart next year with about $69,000 plus whateverwe get from Chris Rock, which is the largestbudget we've ever had."

Coffey said that the Campus Life Committee islooking into larger events for next year, like aHarvard-wide formal and a large-scale musicconcert.

"We would rather have things pay forthemselves," he said. "But this loss will notprevent us from doing more than we ever havebefore.

Coffey said that while the council is notpleased with the turnout, it is not giving on upplanning big events.

"Because of the finance committee rolloversthis year, we'llhave a large rollover for next year," Coffey said."So, since we stayed in-budget this year, we willstart next year with about $69,000 plus whateverwe get from Chris Rock, which is the largestbudget we've ever had."

Coffey said that the Campus Life Committee islooking into larger events for next year, like aHarvard-wide formal and a large-scale musicconcert.

"We would rather have things pay forthemselves," he said. "But this loss will notprevent us from doing more than we ever havebefore.