USF cuts Homecoming Concert from this year’s lineup

*Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Lunay performed at least year’s Homecoming concert. ORACLE PHOTO/ARIANNA RENICK*

For the first time since 2020, USF’s Homecoming Week celebrations will not include a concert, according to Ebony Lamar, director of the Center for Student Involvement (CSI).

This year’s concert is being canceled as a result of lowered attendance and budget cuts, Lamar said. Instead, USF will host its annual Round Up Comedy Show.

But, the concert may not be gone for good.

The CSI will use this semester’s Homecoming Week schedule as a reference point for how to move forward, according to Lamar.

Students said they are disappointed to lose an event this year that culturally represented them.

Roschae Tracey, a freshman studying biology, said the Homecoming Concert could have been an opportunity to continue celebrating on-campus diversity.

For last year’s Homecoming concert, Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Lunay made history as the first ever Latino singer to headline the event.

“Last year with them having the first Latino headliner, I feel like this year maybe it could have been something different,” Tracey said. “I feel like this would definitely be us, as students, losing a way for us to express our culture, our ethnicity, our nationality.”

USF’s student body is made up of 41.6% students of African American, American Indian, Asian, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander or multiracial backgrounds, according to the school’s 2023-2024 factbook.

“Sometimes you may hear a song and think ‘Oh my gosh, this is new. I want to learn more about it.’ But I feel like, if they’re taking [the Homecoming Concert] away, that’s one aspect of it that’s now gone,” Tracey said.

Lunay was paid $75,000 to headline last year’s concert. His opener, rapper Baby Tate, was paid an additional $30,000.

Sophia Porrata, a freshman global business major, said events, like USF’s Homecoming Concert, are also an important part of reflecting Tampa’s diverse makeup.

“Tampa’s really Latino heavy,” Porrata said. “I’m actually Cuban myself. Even though I don’t really listen to a lot of reggaeton, I do think that’s very popular, especially at a diverse campus, like USF Tampa.”

Attendance for previous Homecoming Concerts have been significantly lower than the Yuengling Center’s capacity of up to 8,000 people.

Porrata also said she thinks the concert serves as a good way for students to connect with one another over a shared interest.

“It may allow people who aren’t as comfortable or maybe aren’t on social media as much to get out of their shell and get out of their comfort zone and meet people,” Porrata said.

Because it is her first year, Porrata said she would have liked to attend for the first time if it were available this year.

“Just finding out that there was [a Homecoming Concert], that would have been fun to go to, especially if it’s already something that’s been a part of Homecoming week in years past,” Porrata said. “I wouldn’t wanna miss out on that experience.”

The Campus Activities Board (CAB) also cut the concert to shift focus to planning this year’s Round Up Comedy Show, according to Lamar.

USF’s Round Up Comedy Show is a long running tradition, going back over a decade, Lamar said. It is one of the school’s biggest events of the year, according to the CSI website.

The show is typically held at the start of the fall semester. Last year’s event with comedian Joe Gatto drew around 6,000 students. Previous Round Up Comedy Show comedians have included Pete Davidson, Jimmy O. Yang and Nick Cannon.

This year’s comedian has not been announced yet.

Lamar also said changes in the frequency of events, like the University Lecture Series (ULS), frees up room in the budget for CAB when selecting speakers for all CSI events.

Last fall, CAB reduced the number of ULS events to one per semester, instead of the usual two.

Porrata said she hopes the school will take this year’s reassessment to heart.

“You don’t want it to become ‘Oh you know we didn’t have that last year so we don’t need to do it anymore.’ I just think it’s about getting more student feedback,” she said.