Campus News
Selected black performers appear in SAC
Andrea Shaw
Managing Editor
With all the hype surrounding the ap
pearance of Genesis for three soldout con
certs at the Dean E. Smith Student Ac
tivities Center and the concerts of Kenny
Rogers and the Monkees, many students
say musical acts appealing to blacks, in
particular, have been nonexistent.
Although Lionel Richie appeared at
the SAC in November, his act attracted
a predominantly white crowd. Shelie E.,
who appeals to a black audience, opened
for Richie. Responding to the audience’s
lack of enthusiasm, she said, according to
the Nov. 10 issue of The Daily Tar Heel:
“I thought this was a party, not a
funeral.”
Yet, despite the appearance of Sheila
E., a combination of factors have con
tributed to the lack of black acts in the
area. Smith Center director Steve Camp
Union to be
new site for
BCC in fall
By Suzanne Jeffries
Staff Writer
Talk of a Black Cultural Center for
the University has been a major discus
sion on UNC’s campus for some time.
Critics of the proposal cite the length of
time students, faculty, staff and ad
ministrators have let pass since the idea
was broached in February 1984.
An area in the Carolina Union,
located across from the television lounge,
is being renovated to house the head
quarters for the Center, according to Vice
Chancellor and Dean of Student Affairs
Donald A. Boulton. The Center should be
fully furnished by the Fall semester of
1987, he said. “We’re moving and we’re
coming along,” he said.
Camille Roddy, Black Student Move
ment President, agreed. “This whole no
tion about it taking so long to get it off
the ground bothers me,” she said. “You
just don’t generalize about a cultural
center,” Roddy said. It is important to
make a specific guideline so that there is
a full commitment by the administration
to support the ideals of the center as well
as the activities.”
“We don’t want it to take 20 years,”
Roddy said, “but we want to make sure
that the details are clear.”
said.
“Some of the acts are frightened by
the size of the building,” Camp said.
“This, however, isn’t limited to blacks.”
He said a lot of black groups were
comfortable in the 10,000 or less seating
arenas. In order to break even and cover
expenses at Smith, 8,000 to 9,000 in at
tendance would be needed.
“There are several acts who shied
away from us because of having to do
8,000 or 9,000,” he said.
Another factor was the guarantee pro
moters had to put up before a concert
could be arranged, Camp added. A
guarantee is a specified money amount to
be paid to the performer up front.
“Guarantees that these promoters
have to pay are sometimes directly
associated with the number of seats
available in a building,” Camp said.
For example, he said, if Luther Van-
drpss was to play in an 11,000-seat
Charlotte Coliseum, the guarantee might
be $75,000. However, if Smith Center
was chosen, with a 20,000-seating capaci
ty, Vandross might charge a $125,000
guarantee, he said.
“That’s what scares promoters away
because entertainers think they can sell
every seat in every building,” Camp said.
“Promoters understand there is a certain
amount of risk and that is one of the pro
blems we have in being too large.”
Camp said that with the sellout of
Genesis, the Smith Center had proven
itself as a major market for big name acts
but it was unproven in the black market.
“Because of the black population of
Chapel Hill and the area, it’s (the black
market) unproven and it scares them (pro
moters),” he said. “You can’t blame
them because they’re the people who risk
the megabucks to bring these shows in.”
Camp said that a date for Luther Van
dross was in the works.
Edith Wiggins, associate vice
chancellor, said she attributes delays in
planning to “external and internal
reasons.” Holidays and summer breaks
in between semesters, and the diversity in
terms of what people think the Black
Cultural Center should include were some
internal reasons. Also, the political
climate at the time influenced the pace of
planning, she said.
Following is a chronology written by
Wiggins of the Center’s progress.
1984 — Vice Chancellor for Student
Affairs invited some Black faculty, staff
and students to discuss the idea of a Black
Cultural Center at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. Boulton created
the Black Cultural Center Planning Com
mittee. The first meeting was held on
April 19. Materials and information from
other colleges with Centers was sought.
Planning Committee membership was
finalized to include students, members of
the Black Faculty/Staff Caucus, the Black
Student Movement, the Black Alumni
Association and staff from the Carolina
Union. Also, some literature from
Universities with Centers arrived. Ten
program objectives for the Center were
identified and the issue of space was
discussed. Committeee reviewed justifica
tion statements for the objectives. A
graduate student was hired to assist the
committee; continued reviewing justifica
tions, and a clarification of the BCC’s
mission was urged.
“If we’re able to get Luther Vandross
in here, we don’t have to sell out,” he
said. “But if we sell 15,000 or 16,000
tickets, all of a sudden the Janet Jacksons
and the Freddie Jacksons will want to
come here.”
The Smith Center does some
recruiting but it is not in the promotion
business, Camp said. It does determine
which acts are seriously given considera
tion for possible dates, he added. The
basic criteria for determining which acts
will play Smith Center, he said, are if it
will be successful and if there is communi
ty interest.
Camp said a student advisory group
was established to discuss happenings and
student interests on campus. A represen
tative of the Black Snadent Movement was
to have been a part of this committee, but
the student never showed up at any of the
Continued on page 4
1985 — February — Bylaws for an
Advisory Board were discussed. March
— Location/space for the BCC became
priority, justification statements still be
ing discussed. April — Four meetings
were held to finalize statements and a
decision to wait for the new director
before writing the by-laws was made.
Also, the first draft of the BCC proposal
was initiated, as well as a description for
the director’s position. September —
Members worked on the first draft of the
proposal. October — Committee created
an ad-hoc space committee to explore
alternative locations for the BCC. Also,
an architect was consulted about space
needs and financial estimates.
1986 — January — The final version
of the proposal was approved. February
— The proposal was forwarded to
Boulton. The committee met with
Boulton. April — Boulton sent the Com
mittee an interim report. July — Summer
planning committee finalized director’s
job description. September — Boulton
reported on the departments supporting
the BCC, and a dean from the General
College/Arts and Sciences began working
with the Committee. October — Dr.
William R.. Jones, Director of Black
Studies at Florida State University, visited
as a consultant.
1987 — January — Received consul
tant’s repwrt; reviewed and approved floor
plan for renovated space in Union;
discussed plans to meet with the
Chancellor and Vice Chancellor Wallace.
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Walker quits
To most people it would be the presi
dent’s job to delegate power within the
committee, he said. However, Roddy has
a policy that “if a person feels that a job
needs to be done then they should do it,”
he added.
“At times, that philosophy doesn’t
mesh with mine,” Walker said. So rather
than to continue these internal conflicts.
Walker said he resigned in the best interest
of the BSM.
“For me to act would bring (the
BSM) disgrace and disorder,” he said. “It
was the only avenue I saw open. It was
Continued from page 1
either plunge the BSM into a log of hot
water...or just leave.”
Walker said he wanted the BSM to
continue to be a political voice for black
students; to provide social and cultural
identity for blacks and to present the
history of blacks.
In addition, he said he would like to
see the BSM join forces with groups such
as the Carolina Indian Circle and the
Carolina Gay and Lesbian Association in
a collective attempt to overcome prejudice
at the University.