A string of money-losing concerts and the increasing cost of entertainment have prompted the University Board to propose a new $5 per semester concert fee, which students will vote on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In the past, the UB has put on concerts from a zero-based budget, meaning money from ticket sales paid for the show, UB Vice Chair Caleb Judy said.

Because of the loss of seating in Lantz Arena and inflation, it is no longer feasible to put on concerts with a zero-based budget, Judy said. Not as many tickets can be sold for Lantz Arena, and artists are asking for more money to perform.

But even though Lantz Arena’s seating is limited, both Judy and Bud Wierenga, the UB’s concert coordinator, said that with the increase in funds brought by the concert fee, drawing bigger shows to Eastern will be possible.

“If you have the money, you could have them play at your house party if you wanted to,” Wierenga said.

Some performers prefer more of a venue setting, but a majority don’t care, Wierenga said.

Outdoor concerts would be an alternative to Lantz Arena, but Wierenga said such a production would be risky.

“I don’t really think that’s a possibility,” he said, because in the event of bad weather, Lantz Arena would have to be reserved as well, and it doesn’t have the capacity.

A few performers who played on Eastern’s campus when they were popular included Collective Soul, Hootie and the Blowfish and Aretha Franklin, Judy said. Bill Cosby was here three times, he said.

The concert committee has done some preliminary surveys to determine who to bring to campus, Wierenga said, and one of those artists the students want to see is Nelly.

“Nelly loves playing colleges,” he said.

In getting a big concert on this campus, a number of factors will be considered, combining who is on tour with student input, but the biggest limitation will be the availability of Lantz Arena, Wierenga said.

Surveys will be done to determine the types of concerts desired, Judy said. They would not all be rock concerts, Wierenga said.

“Our big thing is having a diverse selection of artists,” Judy said.

Tickets for these big shows would be discounted, though the Family Weekend show may not be, Wierenga said, because parents usually pay for those tickets, and breaking even on that show would enable a bigger student show the next semester.

The first show put on from the concert fee would be the Family Weekend show this coming fall, and a second show would take place in that fall semester as well, Wierenga said.

Based on an average enrollment of 10,000, the income from the concert fee would be about $50,000.

If Nelly were to play on Eastern’s campus, it would cost $75,000, Wierenga said. With a base budget of $50,000, the ticket cost would be cheaper because it would only need to cover the additional $25,000, Wierenga said. In addition, with this base budget, “we don’t need to worry about breaking even,” he said.

Ideally, one concert will take place both semesters, in addition to the Family Weekend show, Wierenga said.

In the past, the UB put on two concerts per year; the Family Weekend concert and a spring concert, Judy said. Five to 10 years ago, the Family Weekend concert always made money and would support the spring show which typically did not do well.

Over the years, a reserve account paid debt left from a show, but it ran out, making a loan necessary, Judy said.

The UB currently has a $16,000 loan from the Apportionment Board as a result of two shows that lost money. The original amount of the loan was $20,000 to be paid off in three years, Judy said. The three years are up next year, and the remaining $16,000 will be skimmed off the UB budget, Judy said.

This debt resulted from lost money from performances by Aretha Franklin and Carrot Top.

If the referendum is passed by the student body Tuesday and Wednesday, it needs to be approved by Shirley Stewart, interim vice president for student affairs, interim President Lou Hencken and then the Board of Trustees.

Students who want to know more about the proposed concert fee can attend a forum at 8 p.m. Monday in the Charleston/Mattoon Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union, Wierenga said.