It has been the pleasure of the 2011-12 University Union Board of Directors to program for the Syracuse University community this academic year. We are 12 student volunteers elected each April by the outgoing board. Any time a UU show is announced it is the product of months of hard work, compromise, care and optimism. Members track all feedback and respond to specific communication as best as possible. We make every effort to address the concerns of the student body, and we strive to represent our constituencies.

As the official programming board of SU, we make every effort to make our offerings as representative as possible. We work very hard to make these your events. We do so by utilizing the tools we have: the surveys sent out biannually to students’ emails, general members, past event ticket sales and feedback on our social media pages.

We program directly from the surveys. These surveys include questions regarding artist and genre preference. We begin with the top artists and move down the line based on many factors.

The factors that go into programming a show are vast. When planning shows we develop lineups based on artist popularity, availability, cost, availability of venue, academic calendar and other campus events. Often, highly demanded artists are prohibitive due to cost or are unavailable to perform due to other engagements. For a two- to three-act show such as Juice Jam, Rock the Dome or Block Party, we will have explored at least a half dozen lineups. We do so to provide an engaging show for students that is the most sound usage of the student fee.

We ask that the student body continue to voice its opinion regarding our programming. It only helps us to enhance future events. We ask that you consider UU’s offerings throughout the year. SU is a vibrant and diverse campus, and no show will appeal to all students. We program the year as a whole to be reflective of the diversity. 

Rock the Dome is another large-scale show that we hope will become a tradition at SU. Rock the Dome has provided us with the opportunity to provide a greater amount and variety of programming. We are excited for the semester and look forward to hearing your opinion on our next survey. We are always available for feedback. Our president, Robert Dekker, can be reached at UUPresident@gmail.com.

To ensure your voice is heard, we encourage you to become involved. We are having a general interest meeting Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 8:30 p.m. in Watson Theater.

Regards,

University Union Board of Directors 

Published on January 23, 2012 at 12:00 pm