The Student Government roller coaster has encountered an unusually bumpy track during the past year, with an overhaul in the election process, political infighting and, most notably, the extended soap opera of Pepperdine concert production.
SGA has a history of botching concerts and then recovering with successful shows. But with the dismissal of Programming Board Chair Jimmy Hutcheson, this cycle will probably be broken — we’re not likely to see another financially successful concert for a long time.
That’s not to say, however, that Hutcheson had the magic concert touch. The Third Eye Blind concert he organized last semester put SGA in a $14,000 hole that it was still trying to recover from at the beginning of this semester. Nevertheless, he grasped the business side of concert production better than President Jason Palmer, who dismissed Hutcheson for missing too many meetings.
Concert drama began when former SGA president Ben Elliott promised a Jimmy Eat World concert during his campaign. But the band never showed up, and an SGA-sponsored outdoor concert failed when authorities shut down the event because proper permits had not been filed.
Last fall, however, a Dashboard Confessional concert succeeded, as the popular band played and gave exposure to the local groups that opened.
SGA then set its aspirations on the punk band Sum 41, but just before the concert became a reality, the Student Affairs office learned of some lyrics and antics that they felt could not mesh with the mission of the school and the purpose of the concert, which was a memorial for Pepperdine student Amy Ecker.
SGA and Hutcheson followed the Sum 41 fiasco by landing Third Eye Blind instead. The concert was by no means the blockbuster Sum 41 would have been and rounded out the semester with a financial loss. But SGA at least proved Pepperdine could host recognizable bands with an audience of at least 1,500 people.
And so it seemed the up-and-down cycle for Pepperdine concerts would continue in the future by finding a recognizable B-list band and throwing a concert that would not break SGA’s bank.
But this semester’s Waves of Mercy concert did not just stray from this recurring pattern; it fled. Profits were intended for research into cancer and reflexive sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSDS), but when SGA signed Mark Schultz for the added expense of $10,000, it became clear that just breaking even would have been a feat. Indeed, SGA did not break even, and the organization has further ostracized those who choose not to attend concerts.
Hutcheson said he opposed the idea, at the time, because Schultz’s price tag would prove too costly. Hutcheson grasped the need for fiscal restraint, so it’s no wonder he would have objected to the concert.
Now, as much as ever, SGA must adopt such an approach — not just for concerts, but for all its activities.
Waves of Mercy was never seen as a business venture, but as a philanthropic event for a worthy cause. Palmer said he hoped that even if the concert could not raise thousands of dollars for RSDS research that it would certainly raise awareness.
The only money raised for the charitable research, however, came from loose change donated by students at the concert and other donations specifically earmarked for the two causes. The rest went to reducing the debt the concert caused.
Two months removed from the concert, SGA still has major budget concerns, but Treasurer Eric Burns said he believes SGA will only have $2,000 to $3,000 to make up by the end of the semester.
If SGA can bring itself so close to even, next semester would be easier for everyone. With Hutcheson gone, however, who will show a commitment to ensuring concert budget debacles do not start all over again? No one doubts Palmer’s enthusiasm for his job or his passionate Christian spirit, but he was not elected Spiritual Chair. The philanthropic concert that raised awareness but lost money, and his passion for blurring the lines between Wednesday morning Convocation and chapel services cast Palmer as a spiritual cheerleader, not an effective president.
With Hutcheson, however, he had an effective foil — the businessman willing to bring in Sum 41 because that’s what the rest of the students wanted. Hutcheson was no SGA panacea, nor could he ride into town on a white horse and deliver the concert of the century. But he proved to have a grasp on the students who just wanted to enjoy a concert for the music without worrying that their $45 would be wasted. Palmer hasn’t shown he understands this as well as he grasps the SGA attendance policy.
November 13, 2003