Alex Kvaskov | News Editor
Featured photo: Previous YorkFest concerts have been met with mixed feelings. | Amir Yazdanparast
Campus groups and student leaders are speaking out against this year’s edition of the YorkFest concert, put on every fall by the YFS.
Vice President of the Campus Conservatives York University, or CCYU, Jonah Hart says there is something disingenuous about marketing YorkFest events as “free” because Alessia Cara and AlunaGeorge’s performance is not a free performance.
“You are not receiving ‘free food’ or ‘free swag’ from YFS. Cara’s performance is not a ‘free concert.’ She is being paid by the YFS from mandatory student-levy collected money to hire her for a performance,” says Hart.
The YFS receives fees from all undergraduate students, including $1.71 per credit for every LA&PS undergraduate. These fees comprise the student union’s budget.
York alumnus Peter Howie says YorkFest, like any other large-scale event any community bankrolls, is “absolutely” not free.
“It’s silly and unfair to expect any student union to put on a year-opening event on a shoestring budget,” says Howie.
“Maybe some students would be surprised or balk at the cost of these events, but for the most part, ‘expensive’ and ‘concert’ are two sides of the same coin.”
Howie says he has no problem with YorkFest being given a serious sum of money. “I’m glad YFS is willing to put down money to allow students to have a great experience in the beginning of the year,” he says.
However, problems arise when these events are funded without public knowledge, making it seem like the YFS feels the community isn’t ready to know the real answer, according to him.
“An average frosh week costs tens of thousands of dollars per college campus. To allow these events to be funded without any public knowledge, however, is completely ridiculous and stands against everything that YFS claims as cornerstones to their union,” he adds.
Hart concurs. “I personally think that concerts and other spirit-building activities are certainly part of the mandate of a student union. However, students must always be wary of […] entities such as student unions, as […] portions of their tuition money [fund] the YFS activity,” he says.
A greater vigilance ought to be placed on YFS activities, according to Hart. Previous YorkFest concerts have been marred by controversy when Big Sean, who headlined last year, and A$AP Rocky, who was supposed to headline in 2013, were both accused of sexual assault.
Indeed, the A$AP Rocky performance was cancelled.
The YFS did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
With files from Joseph Masucci
