UPDATE – 11/14/14 at 5:50 p.m.
Kevin Hart, one of the comedians considered to perform during homecoming week at UNF, has cancelled, said Osprey Productions Director John Chwalisz.
Chwalisz said Kevin Hart wanted more money and wasn’t even interested.
Osprey Productions currently has $50,000 for Homecoming and $30,000 from the Student Life and Services fee. Chwalisz said they are going to use that money to bring a comedian to campus. A special request for an extra $40,000 was meant to be voted on in Senate on Nov. 10, but was not because the meeting was improperly adjourned.
Osprey Productions wants the extra money so they can bring a bigger name to campus, said Chwalisz.
He said if they don’t get a big enough name, they’ll cancel the comedy show.
“Every year we had a big name we basically sold out the arena,” said Chwalisz. He said last year was the first year OP didn’t ask for any additional funding.
In an email to Adam Tobey, Chwalisz asked him to send an email stating Kevin Hart’s performance fee would be upwards of $115,000 because he needed a quote for his budget request. Tobey is a UNF contractor, serving as a go-between for Osprey Productions and the performers and their agents.
Later, Chwalisz asked Tobey to change the price from $115K to $100-$125K so it would look better for his request.
Chwalisz said he likes to offer low and be able to negotiate. He said they also considered Aziz Anzari, but he declined.
He said they are still looking for another comedian, but didn’t want to say any names and get anyone’s hopes up.
Email Saphara Harrell at reporter30@unfspinnaker.com
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UPDATE – 11/14/14 at 12:02 p.m.
According to OP sources, Kevin Hart is the “unknown comedian” referred to by Spinnaker in the earlier article concerning the Budget and Allocations Committee meeting where the request for a comedian at Homecoming was approved. Kevin Hart’s credits include the films “Soul Plane,” “Think Like a Man,” “Ride Along” and “About Last Night.” Hart has also appeared on several TV series, including “Modern Family” and “Workaholics.” Other comedians that OP has been considering include Samantha Bee from “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Bob Saget and “Saturday Night Live” star, Kenan Thompson. OP has not officially confirmed Kevin Hart’s appearance.
Email Ashton Elder at features@unfspinnaker.com
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At the Nov. 3 Constitution and Statutes Committee (C&SC) meeting, senators discussed amending the absence policy for senators. They established a demerit system for monitoring senators and provided recourse against them if senators make it a habit.
Once a senator accumulates six demerits they are forwarded to the C&SC for an absence appeals hearing. The committee can choose to relieve some demerits from the senator in question, or file a judicial complaint or articles of impeachment.
Three senators were on the agenda for absence appeals hearings.
Senator Dan Culberson’s appeal hearing was postponed, but it was not clear for how long. Senator Meghan Cunningham and Senator Elena Shackelford were not present for their hearings.
At the Budget & Allocations Committee (BAC) meeting, senators unanimously approved a special request of $40,000 for the homecoming committee so it may get a notable artist.
The request was for a comedian to perform at the homecoming comedy show.
It would cost around $100,000 to $120,000 to bring this artist to campus.
The $40,000 requested was supplemental to the funding they already received for this act.
| Money coming from… | Amount |
| Index 402025 | $50,000 |
| Student Life and Services Fee | $30,000 |
| Special Request to BAC | $40,000 |
| Total | $120,000 |
John Chwalisz, homecoming director and director of Osprey Productions, said, “We pay for the opportunity to bring them to campus.”
He said some related artists to what he is looking for are Daniel Tosh, Craig Ferguson, Amy Schumer, Kevin Hart, Brian Regan, John Oliver, Jim Gaffigan and Aziz Ansari.
Chwalisz would not specify who he had in mind to perform, maintaining it would be better for students to find out only once everything is finalized.
He said, based on projected attendance of about 5,750, the cost per student would be extremely beneficial.
Senators agreed and said this will enhance school pride, and students want larger concerts and comedy shows.
Email Cody Quattlebaum at assistantnews@unfspinnaker.com
*11/16/14 at 9:55 p.m. – Updated for clarification on what had not come through yet.
