IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Aside from criticisms on the changes in funding HoCos, there are also concerns about the cost of campus-wide events, which claim a chunk of this year’s council budget.

Mahan says the focus on these big events comes from reviewing the senior surveys of recent graduates, which he says called for more large-scale venues.

Last night’s Dylan concert, orchestrated by the Harvard Concert Commission (HCC) and council members, cost the council $30,000, but due to unexpectedly high ticket sales, the council expects to recover $15,000, about half of its anticipated losses.

But since every concert requires a financial loss, Nicolais says there should be more accountability.

“HCC was given a blank check,” Nicolais says. “The $15,000 allocation in September [for Breuer] and the $30,000 allocation for the [Dylan] concert were made without any consideration for how it would effect any of the other funding initiatives we had.”

Nicolais says evaluating the money spent on concerts ahead of time has been difficult because unlike in the past, this year’s council did not itemize expenditures in its budget.

“Without a clear budget, it’s difficult for council members to weigh the costs against the benefits of new spending,” he says.

Founded in 2000, HCC, which falls under the jurisdiction of the council, works to bring concerts and other large-scale events to campus.

Under HCC chair Justin H. Haan ’05, who is also a Crimson editor, the council sponsored a free Busta Rhymes concert last spring that cost the council and the administration $20,000 each. The concert was attended by about 3,000 people.

Nicolais says that not charging students for the concert was a mistake. He says that last year the Committee Fund ran out of money and the council’s $20,000 contribution to the Busta Rhymes concert mostly came from the Grants Fund, resulting in student groups’ only receiving $161,785.73 worth of the $180,000 set aside for them.

But Haan, who has been a member of HCC since his freshman year, says that concert was a victory.

“Busta Rhymes was never intended to make money,” Haan says. “It was intended to be a community-building event.”