Lupo Fiasco A capella financial pleas fall on deaf ears

Author: Kate Lupo

This Fall Break I went on tour with my a capella group, the wonderful and "steezy" Middlebury Mamajamas. We traveled to University of Vermont to sing with the Top Cats, Union College to sing with the Dutch Pipers and lastly we traveled to Williams to sing with the Springstreeters. It was one of the most memorable and wonderful weekends of my college experience. The tour went on without a hitch and we had a blast performing and forging bonds of friendship with all of the a capella groups that we sang with along the way.

As we pulled up the vehicles to the College on Tuesday and I turned in the keys (and signed all the paperwork as the business manager), I beamed with pride that our group had completed the tour, something we had not been able to do for many years. The thing is, many an a capella group at Middlebury simply cannot afford to travel because none of the a capella groups are funded by the Finance Committee. Yes, it's true: a capella groups do not have a budget.

When I tell people this fact, most gasp in disbelief. I myself also believe that it is quite unfair that Middlebury a capella groups, who do so much to enrich and enliven the Middlebury community, are not given at least a small budget to help them with expenses.

The reason a capella groups are not funded is because the Finance Committee decided a few years ago that a capella groups are able to financially support themselves through CD sales. However, in making that decision, the Finance Committee overlooked the thousands of dollars that usually go into making the CDs. To record a CD, a capella groups are forced to ask for loans from the Finance Committee and then are left in debt thereafter.

This protocol simply doesn't make sense, nor is it fair. Further more, I ask my readers: why do other performing arts groups such as Riddim and MiddDance receive funding and Middlebury a cappella groups do not?

Thus, the Mamajamas did not go on a fall tour just to have fun; we went on a fall tour to make money for our group, which is currently in debt from recording our latest CD. In order to fund our road trip this past weekend, the Mamajamas had to borrow money from the Middlebury Musicians Guild, who kindly volunteered to pay for gas. Gas, however, was not the only expense we encountered. The Mamajamas also had to pay for Enterprise rental vehicles, which ended up costing us hundreds of dollars more than we had anticipated because there were no more Middlebury vehicles available, which, believe me, is another topic for another time. So at the end of the day, the Mamajamas fall tour, which was designed to help us make money through CD sales (and we did make good money!) ended up increasing our debt in the end.

While I can complain all day about the unfairness of the Finance Committee's ruling not to fund a capella groups, complaining will not solve anything. Instead, I would like to offer a solution to this a capella conundrum. I believe there should be a separate fund set up for a capella groups that will help us pay for both recording fees and travel expenses that go towards creating and selling our CDs. I think President Liebowitz would agree that the CDs produced by the a capella groups of this campus serve an important purpose of perpetuating Middlebury College's stellar reputation and showcasing the talents of its students.

Middlebury a capella groups are too important to the fabric and vitality of this campus to be perpetually in debt. By publishing the details of the Mamajamas financial predicament, I am taking a risk, but it is a risk that I hope will benefit all of the college's a capella groups in the end - I am exposing a problem at Middlebury that has gone unsolved for too long.

If you are a fan of a cappella music at Middlebury or a member of one of Middlebury's many talented a cappella groups, then please join me in my mission to set up an a capella fund.