In a given school year, ASUU encounters and engages in a full spectrum of issues. Some of its projects garner campus attention while others remain under the student majority’s radar. However, when it comes to orchestrating an event as huge as The Grand Kerfuffle, though the fact has been heavily publicized, few realize the scope of the Associated Students of the University of Utah’s involvement.
It’s a time of year when about 5,000 students, hopped up on dehydrated Asian noodles, turn to their elected officials for a distraction. As in years past, ASUU continues to confront the challenge head-on, matching the demand for entertainment with an equally necessary work ethic.
ASUU programming adviser Brian Burton said the success of such a function is rooted in communication.
“In order to plan a large-scale event like The Grand Kerfuffle, it comes down to getting individuals and resources moving in the same direction and communicating on a regular basis,” he said.
However, just how many individuals and resources? It has been well-documented that the human condition is such that large quantities of people require a slew of accommodations. U General Counsel, Risk and Insurance Management, Grounds, Plant Operations, Commuter Services, Union Reservations, Scheduling Office, the Dean of Students, University Police and Security and Environmental Health and Safety officials have all been brought on board, and that’s just to name a few. However, it’s ASUU that stands at the helm, steering the massive operation toward efficiency.
“We rely on the expertise of the great people in these departments to help make our event as safe and successful as possible,” Burton said. “When we combine the experience of the aforementioned departments (and all groups and individuals involved) with the energy of the student leaders, great things happen.”
“ASUU has certainly benefited from the experience of our current Presenter’s Office director, Amanda Mecham,” he said. “This is the second year that Amanda has been the director of the Programming Board, and she has been a valuable resource.”
Clearly, she is cut out for the job.
“The greatest challenges are also what make the job exciting,” Mecham said. “It’s a fast-paced schedule of finishing up contracts, meeting with different departments on campus, meeting the demands of the contract and setting up the basics for the show (i.e. staging, lighting, backline, security, student activities, vendors for the festival and promotion) while keeping track of the budget and recruiting responsible volunteers. There’s a long to-do list, but watching it all come together is a fantastic experience.”
The perimeters of a budget are unforgiving. Funded
entirely by student fees, ASUU must include the reality of cost into its collective imagination8212;but so far, so good.
“The fact that ASUU is funded by the students drives the programming philosophy that we are here to provide a variety of entertainment, recreational and multicultural activities to enhance student and campus life, and do it at an affordable cost,” Burton said. “For example, whereas one would expect to pay approximately $25 to $35 per ticket to see Lupe Fiasco and Girl Talk in the same show, ASUU has offset the cost of tickets to U of U students, making them available for only $5.”
The approaching summer vacation is a chance for each individual student to pursue a distraction of his or her choosing. In many ways, The Grand Kerfuffle serves as a siren to remind those students who are too involved in make-or-break academic stratagems that a sizable chunk of free time is headed their way.
As the U’s student leaders carefully piece together the next chapter of a summer tradition, students are given the chance to see ideas in action. So, for those who remain hellbent on learning a thing or two more before the semester ends, ASUU members are offering a free lesson in event planning and they’re calling it The Grand Kerfuffle.