Overspending in previous years has led to the first cancellation of the spring concert Loup Garou in over a decade.
Ron Palmer, marketing senior and Student Government Association vice president of communication, said that SGA spent $65,000 on last year’s Loup Garou when only $35,000 was allocated.
Palmer said that based on a student survey that went out in January, SGA was convinced they would be unable to provide an appealing artist and venue based on their current budget.
This belief that the organization would be unable to satisfy students led the SGA executive staff and programming board to cancel this year’s concert, Palmer said.
University Programming Board has hosted Loup Garou annually since 1998, making this year the first not to see the spring concert.
Last year, Loup Garou featured headlining artist Matt and Kim, along with two other bands, at the Howlin’ Wolf. Hundreds of Loyola students attended the concert.
However, Palmer said that with the funds already allocated for this year, SGA has decided to keep student satisfaction in mind and work to make next year’s concert better.
Palmer said they hope to increase the amount of allocated funds for Loup Garou by making the event biannual, which will allow them to roll over the allocated funds from the off years and to subsequently provide a larger budget.
“We would be able to book bigger artists with more mass appeal and maybe a different venue and just make it a better experience overall,” Palmer said. “The goal is to at least break even.”
Julia Gurney, mass communication senior, said has gone to Loup Garou every year she’s been at Loyola. Now in her final year, she said she is left disappointed by the concert’s cancellation.
“It is one of the Loyola events that I always look forward to,” Gurney said. “I’ve always had a positive experience.”
Leading up to Loup Garou every year, SGA also hosts events such as Crawfish in the Quad, Battle of the Bands and a merchandise sale.
Some of these pre-concert events, such as Crawfish in the Quad, will still take place annually despite the cancellation of Loup Garou, Palmer said.
Mary Graci may be reached at [email protected]
