Campus attractions aim for students' satisfaction Providing entertainment on campus required much planning and behind-the-scenes work , which was rewarded with full auditoriums and smiling spectators. One difficult step in providing entertainment was finding just the right act. To ease the process, Harding has been a member of the Na tional Association of Campus Activities since 1973. Many Harding favori tes such as Gil Eagles, Mark Nizer and the Spencers coming from the Association convention. "The convention gives"us our first contact , and many come back to Hardi ng after they have been here once," Dr. Jerome Barnes, director of special projects, sa id. One necessity to bring groups to campus is money. "Fees can be as much as $20,000 to $30,000 for big acts," Barnes said. The majority of the decisions about who w ill perform are based on the amount of revenue expected. In addition to monetaty fees , many entertainers required specific provisions. Terry Davis, who is the director of student involvement and of the Student Activities Committee (SAC), was in charge of catering to the needs of the performer. The SAC co-directors for this year were seniors Jim Miller and Megan McCorkle. "We were mainly involved with promoting the shows and getting the student body involved, " Miller said. The co-directors headed the 30-member SAC, which handled the practical details of each event. Students had mixed views about the type of events brought to campus but generally agreed that , overall , they enjoyed them. "I like to go to movies, but I don 't catch too many of the concerts," sophomore Jay Segadi said. Junior Preston Brandimore said, "I wish there were more events geared toward music, maybe some music festivals or something. " Senior Jennifer Clanton said that she went to more events as a freshman and sophomore, but she does not have time to attend them now. "I would like to see them move away from country music and bring in a variety of acts, " she said. Throughout the years, Harding has been host to legends such as Air Supply, the Oak Ridge Boys, Kenny Rogers, Barbara Mandrell and the Carpenters . The key to getting a great act, according to Barnes, is "to get acts while they are on their way up, while we can still afford them. " Davis has been making plans for high caliber enterta inment for Harding's 75th anniversary celebration. The process of bringing entertainment to Harding's campus is never ending. No one knows what big-name act may be the next to grace the Benson stage on their rise to stardom. Blyan Wh ite captivates the audience with his southern smile and upbeat country music. The concert was one of the largest oJ the year, filling more than 2500 seats in the BensonAuditorium. Photo byKn"sti Burns. - Scott Loftis Student Life 27 tlii!
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