r Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Wednesday, October 9, 1968 ., ,... #, Musical Society seeks key to financial quagmire By MARCIA ABRAMSON University Musical Society is looking for the solution to cres- cendoing financial problems which caused a $115,000 deficit last year and a predicted $51,- 000, loss next year. The deficit was revealed at the September Regents meeting. 'Since then, several solutions have been suggested: a major campaign for private gifts, free use of Hill Aud., or other Uni- versity subsidies. UMS Director Gail Rector says no one should have been surprised by the deficit. Each Regent was sent a report on the society's finances after the spec- ial Fair Lane Festival in 1967, which Rector says accounts for $50,000 of the loss. UMS is not directed linked to the Regents. The society is in- corporated under state law as a nonprofit educational organ- ization. However, University President Robben Fleming and Vice Pres- ident and Chief Financial Of- ficer Wilbur K. Pierpont are members of the society's Board of Directors. The UMS directors will reach a final decision at their annual meeting in November. They have set up a special financial committee which includes Pier pont. At the last Regents meeting, Pleming promised, he would pro- pose some form of University subsidy "long before" the socie- ty's problems indicated upcom- ing disaster. Rector will present a detailed report on the society's c o s t s, revenues and overall operations at the next Regents meeting on Oct. 17-18. Fleming suggested the possib- ility of free use of Hill Aud. at the September session. Rental of the facility is a major cost for UMS. However, ector de- clines comment on the proposal. Rector emphasizes the pos- sibility of a major campaign for private gifts. UMS has received only $5000 in endowments over the last 20 years.' What is confusingly called the UMS Endowment Fund is actually the society's investment fund for past revenues., Although no concerts have been seriously cut back, the ex- tra concert series has been re- aligned into a series of five dance concerts and five cham- ber arts concerts. These new series replace dance and chamber arts festi- vals which were" held over three day weekends for the last six years. "The programs are less diluted now," Rector explains, "Re- sponse to the changes has been encouraging, according to the indications from advance ticket sales." Ticket sales this year h a v e been the highest in UMS his- tory for the two series. He also blames competition for some of the UMS problems. "The new Events Bldg. allows student presentations to draw much larger audiences than they could before, and many of the concert dates conflict," he says. Part of the UMS deficit in the coming year, Rector says, will be determined by the costs of the annual May Festival. The 1968 May Festival 'cost $10,000 more than the 1967 con- certs. Rector says the trimester system has hurt attendance at the annual event because "the May Festival now comes in April during final exams when fewer students can attend." Much of the UMS difficulty reflects national problems. Sym- phonies all over the country are recording deficits and pleading for donations, and musicians are receiving higher wages. Rector cites the example of the Boston Symphony Orches- tra, which raised musicians sal- aries by $3500 or more this year. UMS can expect to pay twice as much for -major symphony orchestras now as it did ten years ago, Rector says. The 1968 Choral Union Series is costing - the society about $1,000 more per artist and about $500 more for mainten- ance and advertising. There are ten choral union concerts. Rector is fairly confident that UMS will solve its financial problems because of the so- ciety's role as a major contri- bution to Ann Arbor's cultural resources. At the September Regents meeting, Regent FrederickMat- thaei said that UMS "looks like a real -sick baby." Rector counters, "The society is a 90-year-old, healthy, prev- ious child that needs the atten- tion of the parent institution- the mother of state universities -and of the city fathers." A m use yoursef? Contribute prose, poetry, drama, artwork, photographs, non-fiction, literary criticism -almost anything, in fact or in fiction, to generationl the in16ter-arts m aazin e Director Rector: "The society is a 90-year-old c/ild that needs the attention of the parent . STUD. PUB. BLDG. 420 MAYNARD ST. deadline, first issue: October 12 The $200,000 will cover the current deficits, but will not last against a continued deficit. Rector says he believes about $50,000 could be raised ea c h year through a campaign for private gifts. This would bal- ance entirely the projected. 1968-69 loss of $51,000.- Rector attributes the disparity, between the deficit last year and the predicted. loss for next year to the 1967 Fair Lane Festival. "Fair Lane was costly beyond our expectation," Rector says. UMS spent more than $50,000 on Fair Lane and received only $4000 from the Sesquicentennial Committee to offset costs, he says. "We anticipated better public support for Fair Lane," he ex-- plains."We hoped for m o r e gifts. The Meadowbrook Fes- tival has to-and f does-raise $250,000 in gifts each year," he adds. Rector points out that many University alumni are involved in Meadowbrook. Fair Lane consisted of 11 ma- jor concerts held on the Dear- born Campus as part of the Ses- quicentenlial Celebration. The Meadowbrook Festival is a series of concerts presented each sum- mer on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester. "Fair Lane was an added prestige presentation for t h e University. The festival produc- ed more favorable publicity for the University than any other single Sesquicentennial event," Rector says. "We consider the Fair Lane Festival the Society's contribu- tion to the Sesquicentennal cele- bration," he explains. Rector points-out similar loss- es of $70,000 and $49,000 re- spectively at the Universities of Minnesota and Wisconsin f o r festivals held last summer. However, the UMS budget for next year include no special event. The deficit will be due to ---- increases in expenses which have been amounting over the last four or five years. This is not the first UMS de- ficit. Increasing costs caused a $51,000 deficit for fiscal 1967, A plea for assistance has been printed in the programs for this year's UMS 'presentations: "Along with all sponsors of concert series throughout the nation, the society is faced with sharply rising artists' fees and maintenance costs. In conse- quence, financial support is im- perative and is urgently solicited from all patrons." Ticket prices have been in- creased gradually during the last two years to help meet ris- ing costs. However, Rector em- phasizes that student s e a s o n tickets have been kept at a minimum price of $12. UMS has also consolidated its festival series to meet costs. No" YOUR Students For McCarthy Present TITICUT FOLLIES The Famous Documentary Filmed in a Massachusetts Mental Hospital Shown for the First Time in Michigan Fri., Oct. 11, 7 and 9 P.M. GRAND BALLROOM MICHIGANLEAGU E Tickets on Sale at booth on the Diag, Thursday and Friday, and at the door OTHER DON'T . .... Rk Dial 5-6290 SHOWS AT 1, 3,5,7,9 P.M. CANVASS fOR JIM "JOE" LEWIS NEW POLITICS SHERIFF'S CAMPAIGN ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING HIGHEST RATING ! "AN ARTISTICT ACHIEVEMENT!" rachel, rachel is the best written, most seriously acted American movie in if you don't go over to the Student Publications Building this week, Oct. 7 to Oct. 10, 10:00 to 5:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. and make a last ditch attempt to get your SENIOR PICTURE'in the 1969 Michiganensian, so she can show Uncle Irving you finally graduated. 'a long tittl." THURSDAY, OCT. 10, 7:30 P.M.-3rd Floor SAB COME AND TALK WITH "JOE" -N.Y. TIMES i the PAUL NEW MEAN production of rachel.,. TCCOlICOLOrFROMWAREPROS.-SEYEItART5U Subscribe To THE MICHIGAN DAILY I LI ; POEMS AND POLITICS Readings by DONALD HALL and political realities with: BERT GARSKOF candidate for Congress Both appearing at CANTERBURY HOUSE Wednesday, Oct. 9, 9:00 $1.00 Admission Sponsored by Friends of CNP 1i ......... ....i.... V. ii:". ... : :Y . .t .. ... Coming: BARBARELLA I r .rri I i 11 mow I CiNEMA ii CHANGE IN SCHEDULE THIS WEEK, OCTOBER 11th and 12th l "B F G T 0 I ------------------------------ RA 11 4 co T OL" NOW "BRILLIANT! Luis'Bunuel, a master of cinematic erotica!" DIALN8-6416 TONIGHT at 7-9 P.M. "TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE"I H. BOGART ("Cincinnati Kid" will be shown Oct. 25th and 26th) I BILL BAIRD Founder and Director of I Friday & Saturday Aud. A 7 5c 7:00 & 9:00 lI Parents Aid Society Expert on Contraceptive Devices and Other Alternatives 11 I HILL AUDITORIUM The Creatn SUNDAY, OCT. 13th TICKETS $1.50 on sale 10- 2:00 P.M. I coming SATURDAY, OCT. 12 8 P*M. at OLYMPIA STADIUM-Detroit 4, Wed.--Fri I. I on Diag and SA B Lobby Box Office Hill Auditorium Box Office Open Sunday at noon I