Mackenzie Thomas’@@directory@@ class got out 10 minutes before Macklemore tickets went on sale. Once they were dismissed, Thomas and her classmates rushed to their computers to buy tickets before they sold out. Within minutes, Thomas had her $28 ticket for the rapper’s performance this Saturday at Matthew Knight Arena.@@http://www.matthewknightarena.com/event/133/mallard-madness-macklemore-and-lewis@@
“It was really nice having it be so cheap to see someone so big,” Thomas said. “I was looking at StubHub and some of those tickets for the same show are $150.”
Shortly after Thomas got her ticket, however, controversy about ASUO’s funding for the show began to spread around campus. The event was allocated $122,000 from over-realized funds — nearly 58 percent of the fund’s money. In addition, students would be charged twice — once through the incidental fee the year before and once more for the ticket.
Despite the controversy, ASUO Executive Member Lainie Vinikoor believes Mallard Madness is a good investment. Previously, the University of Oregon was the only Pac-12 school that did not provide concerts like Mallard Madness, and Vinikoor hopes the implementation of the concert will build a stronger campus community.@@http://www.uoregon.edu/findpeople/person/Vinikoor@@
“Something I really support is more campus programming,” Vinikoor said. “We have so many students and not enough things for them to do on a Friday or Saturday night.”
Because the money from ticket sales will pay for the concert next year, Vinikoor said that Mallard Madness will be self-sustaining.
“The reason why we wanted to do this was because it would be a waste to use this much money for a concert this year and not be able to provide future programming,” Vinikoor said. “So some students are paying twice, but it’s a self-sustaining fund.”
ASUO Senator and member of the Over-Realized Committee Lamar Wise believes the money could have been better spent on promoting cultural and education programs.
“I understand what they’re trying to do,” he said. “It’s not a bad thing at all. I just think we missed out on an opportunity to promote some of the other projects that I think are important.”
“Students are going to have to continue paying. The concert itself is long-term, but it’s basically starter funds for students who can continue to pay into Mallard Madness. What over-realized funds are supposed to be used for is to provide opportunities for students in mass for free. And that’s clearly what’s not going on here,” Wise said.
Zan Schindler, the executive member in charge of Mallard Madness, believes the money was a good investment for the school and will provide students with safe entertainment.@@googled@@
“I believe the students want a big annual concert,” he said. “I want people to remember in 30 years that they saw Macklemore when they were at the UO.”
Though Thomas is excited to have Macklemore on campus, the fact that the funding could have been spent on other programs gives her mixed feelings.
“Of course I am excited that I will be able to see him,” she said. “But it seems like maybe a poor use of money to bring a concert here.”