Students will have their say on which genre and artists they would like to see their student fees spent on at Groovin’ on the Grounds this spring. But Student Government will have about $9,000 less to spend on talent this year because of an overdraft from last year’s Groovin’ festivities, said SG President Stuart Watkins.Former SG President Colorado Robertson said everything was in order the last time he saw the budget.Michelle Eldredge, SG adviser, said she didn’t know why the account was overdrawn but speculated it could be because of unexpected expenses for which SG had not budgeted.SG is gathering student opinion by survey on PAWS advertised through a broadcast e-mail sent Monday.The survey allows students to choose which genre they would most like to hear and which genre they would least like to hear as the Groovin’ headliner.SOT has lists of possible artists separated by genre, and the winning genre will be used to select a headliner, Guidry said.The survey also gives students the opportunity to suggest artists for country, hip-hop, pop and rock genres and lend ideas on how to improve the event.Groovin’ is paid for by a $3 fee assessed on students’ fee bills during the fall and spring semesters, Eldredge said.Guidry said the Groovin’ fund is about $66,000, and SG is projecting to receive about $70,000 more in the spring semester. This is a projection because enrollment numbers shift every semester.SG is also looking into the possibility of using sponsorship money and other SG funding, Eldredge said.This year SG is looking for a headliner in the $40,000 to $60,000 range, Eldredge said.Last year SG spent $75,000 on Akon, $25,000 on Corey Smith and $31,000 setting up the event, Eldredge said.Guidry said SG will release the most popular genre or top two genres from the survey next week. HOLIDAY SHUTTLEThe Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation released a survey Monday to gauge the optimal days to provide students with a holiday shuttle bus to and from airports in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.SG Director of Transportation Noah Miller said the goal is to have the shuttle running by Thanksgiving.The survey is meant to determine the logistics of when students would want to leave, how many buses would be needed and how many trips to and from the airports would be necessary, Miller said.Watkins said costs for the shuttle service would be determined by the results of this survey.The most difficult parts of organizing the project are determining how much students would use a shuttle to New Orleans and considering a possible $10 to $20 fee for the trips to New Orleans, Miller said.CAMPUS TRANSITThe Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation will release a survey to gather feedback on the new bus system.Miller said the purpose of the survey is to ask what students want to change and to gather feedback on driver performance.
– – – -Contact Xerxes A. Wilson at xwilson@lsureveille.com
Students surveyed on Groovin’ act
October 11, 2009