Princeton University Lawnparties Goes Virtual With $80K Price Tag

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton University’s Lawnparties is going virtual this year due to coronavirus. The event, which was originally scheduled for Sep. 7, will be held on Friday, featuring Jason Derulo.

Lawnparties is a bi-annual collegiate music festival, held once at the beginning of Princeton's school year, and once at the end. In the past, artistes like Rihanna, Big Sean and Maroon 5 have been invited to headline the concert.

According to The Daily Princetonian — the student-run university newspaper — the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) is spending $80,000 on this year’s virtual party, around 42 percent of USG’s fall budget. The event will also feature student openers, Lawnparties outfit contests, and giveaways.

To make the virtual party effective and interactive, the USG has also hired PUSH, a live streaming consultancy and production company which helped produce a number of events for the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention.

“I am sure many people are skeptical of a Virtual Lawnparties, I would be too given the average online lecture quality at this school. But no need to fear, we are planning on hosting tons of giveaways and hosting smaller events around Lawnparties to make it feel as interactive as possible,” the USG Social Committee said in a recent social media post.

But the price tag has come under criticism from some students who think its wasteful spending at a time when the campus is closed and classes are held online.

In an opinion piece for the newspaper, writer Ethan Magistro described the Lawnparties as “an $80K Zoom call”.

“Could USG not have spent it elsewhere, on things that were more pertinent to the pandemic, for example?” he asked.

In response to the backlash, the USG sent out an email to students explaining that they had already sent the artist a binding bid over the summer and are now obligated to pay them.

The email also clarified that the funding came from central University funds, in lieu of student fees that were waived this year. According to a report by NJ.com, the email also explained that based on university rules, the money for student social activities need to be spent each semester, and that student groups don't have the ability to donate the funds to charity.

Currently, the university has only 250 undergraduates in residence, while most learn virtually. The university said it was preparing to bring back students for the spring semester.

Read More Here: Princeton University Prepares To Bring Back Students In Spring

In a letter to the university community, President Christopher L. Eisgruber said an announcement on the final decision will be made in the first week of December.

For Friday’s event, a Zoom link will be emailed to students to join virtually.

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