On Feb. 21, students waited outside the O’Reilly Family Event Center (OFEC) for hours in order to get free tickets to an event that many have been anticipating: the blackbear concert. The excitement of the popular musician’s upcoming arrival was so apparent that it was nearly tangible. However, some students decided to boycott the ticket line instead of waiting in it. 

While it appears that the majority of students are thrilled that Drury’s Student Government Association (SGA) was able to allocate funds in order to bring blackbear on campus, there are those who disagree. Some believe the money would have better been used for other endeavors, such as keeping Carbon Copy open, which was officially shut down on Aug. 30, 2019. 

One student who wishes to remain anonymous tweeted, “Can we talk about how SGA spent $100,000 over their budget to host blackbear on campus instead of giving that extra money to students in better ways or using it to…idk KEEP CARBON COPY OPEN.” 

However, Haley Mueller, a three-year member of SGA, has a different explanation for what went on behind the scenes of SGA’s decision to bring blackbear to campus. Mueller, who spoke on behalf of the organization, claimed that most of the funds did not come from SGA’s budget, but rather from other sources. 

She said, “The money that we allocated to this concert came from accounts that hadn’t been touched in years. These accounts came from student organizations that either don’t exist anymore or from student organizations who over estimated money that they needed. When we reclaimed unused funds from previous academic years, we had enough money to bring an artist to campus.” 

Mueller also explained the rationale behind SGA’s decision to use the extra funds to bring blackbear to campus. “All members of SGA went to their fellow Drury students and asked them who they would like to see come to Drury. After compiling many, many names, blackbear was the most requested,” she said. 

The funds were not solely used to book blackbear but also to upgrade the OFEC to accommodate other major acts in the future. As a result, blackbear is only the first of many artists that Drury hopes to host. Also, according to SGA, students will continue to benefit from the decision to upgrade the OFEC as a deal was made that in exchange for the upgrades, student tickets would be provided by the OFEC for many years to come. 

Mueller directly addressed the claims that the funds used for blackbear should have been used for other endeavors. She explained, “As a General Assembly, we are elected to enhance the student experience, which includes allocating funds in a way that we see fit for the student body. Although we try to address all concerns presented to us, it is necessary for us to prioritize based on what we receive the most feedback on, and work in conjunction with what we have the resources to accomplish.” 

SGA encourages students that have any ideas or suggestions for future SGA projects to enter them at sga.drury.edu. Some students may not be thrilled at blackbear’s upcoming arrival; however, whether or not students agree or disagree with the decision to bring blackbear to campus, Apr. 4 will be a day of excitement for the Drury community.

Article by Sammie Ellis