By
Maya Schechter
Arizona Daily Wildcat
UArocks! to sell ticket reservations for the event
Details of the first-ever UArocks! spring concert have not yet been determined, but ASUA is planning for what they anticipate to be a huge fund-raiser for campus clubs and organizations.
However, unlike CatFest and other concerts sponsored through University Activities Board, UArocks! is designed to directly benefit all clubs involved and will work with a philanthropy organization.
Jenny Rimsza, special events director of the Associated Students, said she is currently researching information on band tour dates, ticket sales and determining fundraising strategies.
"It will be same idea as Campaign Arizona for the students, all the money will be going to them," Rimsza said.
ASUA President Ben Graff said he came up with the idea of a campus-wide concert during his campaign last spring.
"When I was (ASUA) executive vice president last year, I always had a close attachment to the clubs and wanted to help them in fund raising," Graff said.
Clubs will have the opportunity to raise money through ticket reservation sales and receive a flat-rate profit for each one they sell, Rimsza said.
Students will have to pick up their tickets from the box office at the venue where the concert will be held, so that they can still sit with their friends if they purchase their tickets from different clubs, she added.
"It's the most fair way to do it, so that none of the clubs will get better seats than others," Rimsza said.
Graff said one of the differences between CatFest and UArocks! is that the band will be well-recognized and at a larger venue.
Also, CatFest is designed to welcome back students to school in the fall, while UArocks! will give clubs a direct benefit from the ticket sales, Graff added.
UArocks! will also include more than just a concert - March of Dimes, a philanthropy-based organization, is holding a folic acid campaign during the event.
The campaign aims to reach out to college students and inform them of increasing their intake of folic acid to prevent birth defects, Graff said.
"We wanted to tie in a philanthropy to the event, and I have worked with them (March of Dimes) before so I knew the importance of educating students," Rimsza said.
Rimsza said the organization will send out their spokesperson, possibly MTV veejay Daisy Fuentes or actress and model Kathy Ireland, to the UA campus either the day of or before the concert to speak to students about folic acid.
Graff and Rimsza said they were both optimistic about the event's success.
"It will depend on whether or not we get a recognized band, but I think students are starving for this kind of concert," he said.
The event is expected to be held in April
