Bumstock director chosen, changes

By Pattie Barry

Posted on Dec. 12, 2005, at 12:00 a.m.

To the joy of those displeased with Bumstock in years past, UMaine’s signature festival is getting a face-lift.

The concert, which began as a multiple-day event, will return to its festival roots as it spans the weekend of April 21 and 22 next year. Tentatively, the event is planned to begin around 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and last until 11:30 p.m.

Sigma Phi Epsilon brother Andrew Gerke was announced as director this Thursday. In years past, Bumstock director had been chosen in the first month of the fall semester.

Gerke, a third-year German and civil engineering major, was chosen due to his experience managing other music festivals, such as last year’s Sophomore Owls Battle of the Bands.

“We were looking for someone with great management skills,” said Derek Mitchell, incoming vice president for Student Entertainment and brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon, referring to the selection committee which was composed of himself, current Vice President for Student Entertainment Josh Luce and Campus Activities and Events Director Joe Mollo. Mitchell cited that, because the event is in a transitional year, the committee was searching for someone who “can easily cope with these changes.”

Gerke mentioned that he has been on the planning committee for several other events as well, some of them in the Portland area. In terms of his musical tastes, he said that he listens to everything, though he said that he didn’t have any ideas as to who he might select to play at the event.

“Well, I can’t say a whole lot yet,” Gerke said. “It’s kind of irrelevant right now as I was just hired as director..”

The hiring committee’s reason for delaying the application process for Bumstock director was that they wished to finalize many of the changes in the event before bringing that director on, Mitchell said. One of the major changes to the event is that it will now be overseen by Campus Activities and Entertainment, which will make it a university event and thus covered by the university insurance.

“This alleviates $10,000 in insurance expenses with nearly no additional cost,” Mitchell said. He said that the money saved will be used to either bring on a larger headlining act or possibly more bands.

In addition to changes in the university’s role in the event, there are several changes which will take place across the committee which organizes Bumstock. According to Mitchell, a representative from The Maine Campus, WMEB, The Campus Activities Board and two representatives from the Student Senate will be invited to join the Bumstock planning committee with the Bumstock director Gerke, Bumstock business director Kyle Jarius and Mitchell, acting as an ex-officio member. As of press time, no formal invitations have been made to those organizations.

Previously the Bumstock committee was a “hand-picked group of people that wasn’t representative [of the student body] as it could have been,” Mitchell said. Mitchell expressed that a committee of members who are involved in other media, entertainment and student-related outlets would better represent the opinions of the student body.

In addition, there will be changes in regards to advertising and admission for the event, said current VP Luce. Advertising for the event will be pulled from all radio stations except WMEB, and admission costs are expected to rise for non-students. As before, students will be admitted for free.

“Because the funding comes from the activity fee, our focus is getting the activity fee-paying students there,” Luce said. He expressed that Public Saftey’s main safety concerns were in regard to non-students at the event, as those people are not accountable to the university for their actions as students are.

Mitchell said that he hopes to bring two local, two regional and one national headliner each night of the event. In the near future, the Bumstock conference, located in Student Entertainment’s conference on FirstClass, will be open to all students for input and suggestions.

“We’ll be more than happy to take student input,” Mitchell said.

Last year, 2000 bracelets were sold and distributed at the event, which was considered slow, Luce said.

“Our intent is to . with all of these changes, cut the parts that aren’t working,” Luce said