Winter break has come to a close. As papers and exams become a reality once more, the College Union Board (CUB) wants to make sure students take time out to have fun.
CUB has been working to create a great line-up of events for the semester, beginning with its "Welcome Back Weekend Comedy Show and Concert."
On Saturday, Jan. 26, singer/songwriter Vanessa Carlton will be performing live in Kendall Hall. The show will start at 8 p.m, with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets for the concert will be $5 and all tickets will be sold at the door the night of the show on a first come, first served basis. Mary Mamrak, the CUB event coordinator overseeing Saturday's show, expects Carlton's performance to be well-attended.
"We think about 500 people will show up, but we're hoping for a full house," Mamrak said.
According to Mamrak, CUB invited Carlton to play in an attempt to move away from the parade of rock bands that have come through Kendall in the past few years.
"We were trying to get something different, trying to stay away from the Saves the Day," Mamrak said. "We had considered The Format, but we figured that was too similar."
Scheduled for Friday, Jan. 25, the comedy show will feature comedian Nick Thune and magician Mike Super, who was recently the winner of NBC's hit show "Phenomenon." The comedy show will also start at 8 p.m., but tickets will only cost $3.
One of CUB's most popular campus events is the annual Spring semester concert, where students vote to help guide the process of selecting an artist for the live show. Candidates for this semester's show include '90s pop-rock wonders Lifehouse and Third Eye Blind, hip-hop and R&B icons Akon and Chris Brown and pop-punk sensation Cartel.
"Before leaving for break, over 1,600 (College) students had voted for which artists they want to see,"CUB director Alex Mazella said. "We tallied the results and presented our recommendations to the Student Finance Board. It is now up to the band to decide whether or not they will accept our offer. This will be the biggest event CUB has ever done if it all works out."
Other CUB activities for the semester include such campus staples as the film series on Saturday nights in the Travers/Wolfe main lounge and monthly off-campus trips to New York, Philadephia and other nearby metropolitan hotspots.
"We are finalizing the film series, which has some of the most recent blockbuster hits," Mazella said. "We will also have our monthly bus trips, including one to Broadway, since the stagehand strike in November canceled our first trip, and possibly another to a Phillies game, which was popular both last spring and this past fall."
In order to give students the opportunity to showcase their talents, CUB is looking into hosting another student comedy night and the Rathskeller will continue to host the CUB-sponsored student band and soloist nights, in addition to performances from outside cover bands. Friday, Jan. 25, will be the semester's first student band night from 5-8 p.m.
The 20th annual CUB Latenighter will be held on Saturday, March 1. The theme for this year's Latenighter is a flashback to the 1990s. All of the event's giveaways and activities will focus on fads and trends from the decade.
Mazella is very optimistic about all of CUB's offerings for the spring.
"This is looking to be a great semester for CUB since we already have so many events in the works and are still looking to plan more."
- Additional reporting by James Queally, Arts & Entertainment Editor
