Two years ago, A&O Productions was granted $300,000 to bring bands and comedians to Northwestern and the group responded in full: Bob Dylan, George Clinton, Ben Harper.
Students were so happy that they dropped $282,000 on the group the next year – a slight decrease, but A&O said they were hoping for an increase this year to balance out the cut.
One year, one comedy show and one concert later, students aren’t so eager to pay up.
The Student Activities Finance Board recommended the group receive only about $165,000 for films, a Winter Quarter comedian and a Spring Quarter concert.
A&O leaders say they still are thinking positively. The Chicago-based rock band Wilco will headline the A&O Ball on Thursday, and A&O is planning to squeeze two more concerts into this quarter.
“Our events are in the spring, and we’re only three weeks into spring,” said Neil Shah, the group’s Associated Student Government senator.
Shah said a strong spring quarter would bolster the group’s petition for fall supplemental funding, which would allow them to produce a winter concert.
Like other student-funded groups, A&O was expecting more money this spring because SAFB had an additional $150,000 to pass out.
“We should get more (this time) since we went down after an amazing year,” Shah said.
Le’Jamiel Goodall, ASG’s financial vice president, said the A&O didn’t deserve an increase, but also didn’t deserve such a big drop.
“(Group funds get) baby steps up and baby steps down,” said Goodall, a Weinberg junior.
Shah added that some of A&O’s problems were just “bad luck,” such as the cancelation of a planned Snoop Dogg concert because of security concerns.
“SAFB felt it had to be hard on us, even though it was no fault of our own,” he said.
Goodall said A&O got caught in a year when many other groups performed well and deserved increases.
Nitin Wadhwani, a former SAFB member, said he understood the limitations SAFB has to operate under.
“It’s hard; SAFB has a tough job,” said Wadhwani, A&O finance director.
The Daily’s Dan Murtaugh contributed to this report.
