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A show like Dashboard Confessional may be a tough act to follow, but newly appointed vice president of Student Entertainment Amanda Brown says she’s ready to accept the challenge.
Brown, a fifth-year marketing major with a minor in psychology, was tapped for the position after spending a year as assistant vice president. In that capacity, she worked with then-VPSE Derek Mitchell to plan and produce every Student Entertainment concert.
“Derek made some very big decisions with regards to Bumstock and going back to the Alfond,” Brown said. “In comparison to Derek, I’m pretty confident in taking risks like he was, and I would love to continue that relationship with athletics.”
In the past year, Student Entertainment canceled the 33-year tradition of Bumstock, an outdoor music festival, using that budget to produce an additional concert in the spring. Two weeks ago, they brought Dashboard Confessional with Brand New to the Alfond Arena. It was the first time in six years that a music concert was held in the sports complex, and the price tag on the show before revenues was one of the most expensive Student Entertainment concerts to date.
“I think that continuing shows at the Alfond is an important endeavor,” Brown said. “I’ve never seen the Alfond as anything other than a hockey arena, or sometimes a basketball arena . that concert was a big stepping stone.”
Brown plans to schedule one or two more concerts in the spring semester, a number that depends on the size of the band and venue for the show. She said that she isn’t ruling out the possibility of an outdoor festival in the future, while acknowledging that the stress and security issues surrounding Bumstock were not worth the cost.
In addition to working as VPSE, Brown is also a resident assistant on campus, a position she has held for four years and to which she attributes a lot of the experience that she brings to Student Entertainment. As an RA, she worked with the Campus Activities Board, and said that she understands what kind of entertainment students are expecting.
“I know that college wouldn’t be the same without entertainment,” Brown said. “It’s important for students to have activities that bring them together outside of their academics and outside of their residence halls.”
Bangor Daily News