Imagine a sea of students on Healy lawn. Your friends jumping up and down. Speakers blasting. A band playing from the steps of White Gravenor.
Instead, comedian Mike Birbiglia tells the same jokes at New Student Orientation every year. Hoya- and Saxapalooza are far from paloozas—they’re just barbeques on a roof that’s never used. Spring Fling is a flop. Fountains of Wayne was a disaster. Meanwhile, Busta Rhymes raps at UPenn and Jerry Seinfeld takes the stage at GW.
But the Georgetown Program Board, whose mission is to “provide low-cost entertainment to all members of the Georgetown study body,” is not equipped to solve these shortcomings. GPB gets a bad rap because the University doesn’t give them the financial support they need. The University ought to reconsider the funds they allocate to student entertainment in order to strengthen GPB.
Currently, the organization has a budget of just over $100,000 for an entire year of programming. Its subcommittee on concerts only gets $30,000. And while the cost of bands and technical equipment has skyrocketed in recent years, GPB’s budget was cut last spring.
Every spring, major organizations like the Student Association (GUSA) and GPB have a funding meeting. This fall, GUSA passed a referendum which greatly increased its weight in the funding process. If delegates want to truly work for their student constituency, they should vote to earmark more of their budget to GPB.
Additionally, the University should fundraise for GPB—many alumni would be more than willing to contribute to the specific goal of making undergraduate education more fun. Middle-of-nowhere schools like Dickinson, Union and Rhodes College (hardly well-endowed schools) have Spring Party Weekends. The D.C. area is already a major stop for band tours, so, in theory, Georgetown should have an advantage over these colleges.
GPB should also work to achieve from within. A truly representative group wouldn’t book one-hit wonders. Fountains of Wayne is only a good choice if the MILF from the “Stacy’s Mom” music video tours with them. Instead of complaining about these bad decisions, students who care about music or comedy should go to GPB’s open meetings or run for positions. GPB does not always need to stick to its mission of providing “low cost” entertainment. If we can get a good band at a low cost, fine. But if a band that Hoyas would get excited about is available, students would be willing to dig a little deeper into their wallets.
But why should the University give a darn? After all, students came here to get an education, not entertainment. Most students would prefer the University to spend money on Tony Blair, not Carlos Mencia. But we shouldn’t have to choose between the two—our location allows us to attract renowned politicians and academics at a relatively low cost. While entertainment certainly shouldn’t be placed on par with academic concerns, campus-wide activities help build school spirit and foster a sense of community. This atmosphere would attract more potential applicants, increasing the school’s selectivity, in turn helping to bolster the all-important ranking of the school.
As a top-tier, national University, Georgetown needs to carry its weight both in academic and social opportunities for students. Plus, we could all use some good, clean fun.
