Call on Me, CEB!

When Third Eye Blind took the stage at Yardfest last spring, the rain-drenched hoard of Harvard students crooned along with the band’s hit, “Semi-Charmed Life.” “I want something else,” the song goes—and students chanted along with the band. But for some, these lyrics carry genuine sentiment: When it comes to the artists that the College Events Board (CEB) chooses to perform at Harvard each spring, many of us wish that we were watching something—or someone—else.

The CEB is in the unfortunate position of having to lure 6,500 unique undergrads out of their rooms—and Lamont—with one artist every spring on a limited budget. No doubt this is a daunting task. They could make their own lives easier, however, by increasing transparency in the process of picking an artist. By polling students to determine artist preferences—or abandoning the current structure of Yardfest in favor of several smaller and decentralized performances—the CEB could please more students and increase undergrad involvement in social programming overall.

Perhaps the biggest hindrance to the CEB’s ability to implement effective social programming is its budget. Our hipster friends at Brown University will be treated to a fine lineup this spring, including Lupe Fiasco, Girl Talk, Vampire Weekend, and M.I.A., while pseudo-star Gavin DeGraw is expected to headline at Harvard. While a series of concerts by more offbeat artists would be ideal, it is simply not possible because of the restrictions the CEB currently faces. Harvard’s budget for student life is significantly lower than those of its peer institutions, and the CEB is dealing with a smaller cash wad than its comparable organizations at schools like Brown and Yale are. The cost of booking a big-name artist can run to over $100,000, and if the CEB allocated that much to Yardfest, it couldn’t put on events like Camp Harvard, the Harvard-Yale pep rally, and the provocatively titled “Pimp Your Stein Club.” Given that Harvard students are not notoriously big concertgoers, it is these events that tend to engage the most people, and so this money is dollars well spent.

While the CEB certainly has not chosen to be cash-strapped, they could handle their funds more wisely by polling undergraduates to see if they prefer hearing an affordable, “big-name” artist like Third Eye Blind or spending that same amount of money on several smaller venues. If the College can’t afford a superstar (read: Ludacris), then perhaps it would be better to stop shooting for one-act shows and opt for less famous but more interesting artists. Last spring’s Mates of State concert in the Cambridge Queen’s Head Pub was well-attended and fun, proving that even Harvard students are capable of appreciating good music in an intimate setting. Either way, the minute fraction of the student body on the CEB should not be the only people able to voice their partialities.

If the CEB (hopefully) opens their ears to undergraduate feedback, perhaps they should also open students’ ears to the music of their peers. A CEB-sponsored concert featuring Harvard bands would be a good way to get students excited for Yardfest, and the winner of a Battle of the Bands might even be awarded with the chance to open Yardfest’s headliner.

The CEB is already taking steps to increase their transparency and increase communication with students. Next year’s process of choosing of artist will take a student poll into account, and tonight, undergraduates have the opportunity to mingle with their house’s CEB rep in the dining hall. It is a mistake to think that the CEB can please everybody with one artist, but soliciting student feedback will do nothing but guide the CEB and make students feel as if their preferences are valued.