ASUSU slashes Howl budget by $15,000
The Taggart Student Center will be turned into haunted house for the 2012 Howl of Horror on Saturday, but students might be surprised by some changes to the annual event.
This year, the Howl will not include a concert, said Hannah Blackburn, Student Activities and Traditions Board activities director.
“I did a lot of research on what the Howl historically was,” Blackburn said. “When the Howl started, it was just a big costume party and ‘Come all hang out.'”
She said she wanted to return to the event to being the “biggest costume party west of the Mississippi.”
“The past two years, there has been a concert,” Blackburn said. “It does take up a lot of the budget as in years past.”
Former activities director Chase Casillas said budget the past two years has been about $45,000. Blackburn estimates the Howl will cost about $30,000 this year. She said a band typically costs $15,000 to $20,000.
“The Howl should be an event with multiple activities going on and not a concert venue,” she said.
Blackburn said big name bands popular among all students are hard to come by.
“You have hit just the right one to get people to come,” she said.
A lack of band is advantageous to students because musicians do a single show and leave. Jim Wand, the hypnotist ASUSU has hired, will do several shows during the night in the TSC Ballroom, Blackburn said.
In addition to her research of past Howls, Blackburn sent out a survey when she was first put into office to see what students wanted.
“The biggest thing I gathered from it was that people want a big attraction that’s a show, but not necessarily a band,” she said. “That’s fascinating because we could get a hypnotist or mentalist for less than five grand.”
Blackburn said she wants to show students where the budget money is going and the benefits they are going to get from it.
“Students will be able to see that the money has been allocated a lot more efficiently,” she said.
Blackburn said she has planned three times as many events as in past Howls. Last year there were complaints of lines being too long, and as a result she’s addressed the issue.
The number of tickets sold will be capped around 6,000, according Kevin Webb, USU’s program coordinator. He said this is due to the fire code and student complaints of the Howl being too crowded.
This year’s events will include Creepy Crawler Encounters in the Juniper Lounge where spiders, cockroaches and scorpions will be available for people to hold and take pictures with. There will be nine tarot card readers revealing peoples’ fortunes in the Skyroom.
Three different USU dance teams – Velocity, My Bad Crew and Full Circle – and a contortionist, stage-named The Human Knot, will be alternating acts in the Sunburst Lounge. There will be airbrush tattoos available to students in the International Lounge.
In the Hub, there will be a professional photographer with a Halloween set so students can get their pictures taken.
“I want students to feel that they get the most out of their ticket,” Blackburn said.
Student pre-tickets are on sale for $10 in the TSC Card Office. They will be $15 at the door.
– katrimw@gmail.com