The Student Association’s new Big Time Entertainment committee is designed to pick up where Campus Activities Board leaves off.

So exactly where is that?

“CAB brings in a lot of small acts, which is fine. Our campus needs it,” SA President Kevin Miller said. “CAB hasn’t done a whole lot to co-sponsor with organizations, so that’s what this committee will do.”

However, CAB Concerts Coordinator John Ugolini thinks differently.

“The budget hasn’t been increased in 10 years,” he said. “There’s not a whole lot we can do with that budget.”

Although CAB has brought acts like Ben Folds, Nine Days and Nelly in 2001, as well as Wyclef Jean, the Black Eyed Peas and De La Soul in 2000, popularity comes with a price.

“An artist like John Mayer, who was $15,000 four months ago, is now around $70,000,” Ugolini said.

CAB’s annual budget is about $62,500.

Miller said that the answer to the entertainment issue lies not within money, but action.

“We need to stop throwing money at things to fix problems,” he said. “Not that CAB is a problem, but the gap has been identified, and fixing the gap is something that CAB doesn’t seem to want to do.”

The $37,500 given to the BTE committee will spark fear among existing SA organizations.

“The money is strictly coming from the general reserve,” Miller said. “The reserve is funded by extra student fees gained through this year’s enrollment increase. [The BTE committee’s budget] will affect other organizations, but only marginally. The money could have been potentially used to increase other organizations’ budgets.”

However, some students remain dissatisfied with the types of entertainment.

“Personally, I don’t listen to any of the bands [CAB] brought in so far,” said sophomore communication major Andrea Fernandez. “I mean, come on. Ben Kweller sucks.”

Miller said he plans to diversify the genres of entertainment by selecting members to the BTE committee who represent every area of the student body.

“It’ll be a careful selection,” he said. “Diversity is important – cultural diversity, as well as men and women.”

In addition to bringing in different genres of music, Miller has hopes for the committee to hold cultural events.

“Obviously, this committee will be limited, because every committee has its limits,” he said. “I’m going to play a semi-active role in the committee to make sure that things happen.”

Although there are not any specific plans for entertainment yet, a few ideas have been brought to Miller’s attention.

“A lot of the decision is up to the committee,” he said. “One thing that would be great would be wrestling, the [World Wrestling Entertainment].”