A decision by the president of Northeastern University to cancel the school's spring concert - headlined by Ludacris and Jurassic 5 - has provoked outrage and protest among students.
The move comes as part of the administration's response to post-Super Bowl rioting near the school's Boston campus, which resulted in the death of a student's brother. Northeastern officials have used the riots as a starting point to reexamine campus culture and the school's often-strained relations with its neighbors.
"A lot of people on campus felt that this wasn't the time to host a gigantic, riotous concert," said Christine Phelan, assistant director of communications at Northeastern.
Lawyers for the school have said Northeastern will not lose any of the $195,000 it had budgeted for the April 2 event. Phelan said administrators are hoping to schedule a big-name speaker - possibly former President Bill Clinton - in place of the concert.
Administrators understand that students are upset by the decision, but hope students see the need to strengthen their relationship with the outside community, Phelan said.
"It's certainly not the average Northeastern student who's out there rioting after a football win," Phelan said. "It's unfortunate that everyone has to be punished for the actions of a few."
But some students say administrators went too far by canceling the show.
"It's ridiculous," said sophomore Brian Driscoll. "If they can cancel our Springfest for some ridiculous, trumped-up reason, what can't they take away from us?"
Driscoll said the decision shows the school cares more about its image than its students.
"They took something that a lot of people worked hard for and got rid of it," Driscoll said. "Honestly, if it was a Neil Diamond show, I doubt they would have canceled it."
Students had voted to triple their annual activities fee in hopes of drawing a big-name act. Previous Springfests have featured the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the Roots and They Might Be Giants.
Michael Romano, president of Northeastern's Student Government Association, said the concert represented major progress in student life since the school's days as a predominantly commuter campus.
"The Ludacris show was less about the concert than about what it represented, about the level of student activity on this campus," he said.
But Romano also recognized that the campus climate needs significant change.
"We have a lot of repairing to do and a lot of serious issues to address with the community," he said.
Student leaders are planning a day of community service and outreach in place of the concert.
Romano said he hopes the day will mark "the first step of many in sending the message that we care about the community."
David Margolius '06, administrative chair of the Brown Concert Agency, said he was not surprised that Northeastern students were upset by the decision.
Although Margolius said he doubted Brown administrators would ever cancel a Spring Weekend show, he was unsure whether BCA would be able to recover fees from bands if a concert were canceled.
"The worst thing that could happen to us is a rain-out on Saturday," Margolius said. "I don't think the University would (cancel the show) with all the money on the line."
