Senate funded $190,000 to the Student Union Board Wednesday night to go toward a spring event that Student Government hopes will create a new tradition on campus.

In a vote of 27-3-0, the funding request passed after nearly an hour of debate where many senators felt that the promise of community and Iowa State experience outweighed the initial price tag. 

“The goal would be that the event is on Sunday afternoon at the end of the semester in the spring,” George Micalone, director of student activities, said. “We hope to generate enough revenue to be sustainable long term.

“The idea, if we can make this happen, the ‘wow factor’ of entertainment on campus can be increased or improved,” Micalone said.

President Cody West and Vice President Cody Smith campaigned on creating an event that would “develop a sense of camaraderie not only among current students, but alumni and all friends of Iowa State.”

West said Wednesday he was extremely happy and wants to communicate that the $190,000 allocation is going toward an event that will hopefully grow into something sustainable and continuous. 

“That money we allocated tonight was to make sure we can make this event successful so that it can be a reoccurring event for students in the future,” West said.

Now that the Student Union Board has the money to move forward, it can begin the process of selecting an artist and marketing the event. Additionally, the Student Union Board will be putting forth $60,000 of its own funds to organize the concert.

While an unofficial number, SUB estimates that ticket prices for the concert will be around the $25 marker for students.

Members of SUB present at Student Government Wednesday advocated for the senate to fund the spring concert as they felt it will serve as a benefit to the Iowa State community. 

“For me, the big thing that I’m most excited about is to see a lot of students come out and feel a sense of pride and attachment to their university,” Sarah Heller, SUB president, said. 

The funding for the concert came from Student Government’s special projects account which now has about $300,000 for the remainder of the fiscal cycle. 

Micalone said that an event like this, “if done well, could generate $300,000. It only takes one good year to build a reserve.” 

Some senators, however, were concerned that a spring concert may not actually be a need of the students and that $190,000 was too steep of a price. 

“I don’t see this as a benefit to the students. I don’t see it as a benefit to the university,” Vice Speaker Cody Woodruff said, referring to the concert as a “faux Veishea.”

“This, in my opinion, is trying to be something it is not,” he said. 

Others, however, opposed this perspective. Sen. Chelsea Eret arguing that this event “creates and preserves connections” students have to Iowa State.

In previous outdoor, spring concerts hosted at Iowa State, performers have included Ludacris, Timeflies, Andy Grammer, Twenty One Pilots and Jamie Lynn Spears. 

“Outdoor entertainment is not an unusual or new concept,” Micalone said. “Moving outside provides new opportunities to expand our audience.”