USF Removes Homecoming Concert from This Year’s Program – The Oracle

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

This year’s concert is canceled due to lower attendance and budget cuts, Lamar said. USF will instead hold its annual Round Up Comedy Show.

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However, the concert may not be gone for good.

According to Lamar, CSI will use this semester’s Homecoming Week schedule as a baseline to help determine future actions.

Students said they were disappointed that this year they lost an event that was their cultural representation.

Roschae Tracey, a first-year biology major, said the commencement concert could have been an opportunity to further celebrate diversity on campus.

During last year’s Homecoming concert, Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Lunay made history as first latin singer as headliner event.

“Last year, when they had their first Latin star, I feel like this year might be different,” Tracey said. “I feel like it’s definitely us, as students, who would lose a way to express our culture, our ethnicity, our nationality.”

41.6% of USF students students of African American, Native American, Asian, Latino, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islander descent, or of multiracial descent, as defined in the 2023–2024 school curriculum book of facts.

“Sometimes you can hear a song and think, ‘Oh my God, this is new. I want to learn more about this.’ But I feel like if they take away (the Homecoming concert), that’s one of the aspects that’s already gone,” Tracey said.

Lunay got paid $75,000 headline last year’s concert. His support act, rapper Baby Tate, got an extra $30,000.

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Sophia Porrata, a freshman majoring in global business, said events like the USF Welcome Concert are also an important part of reflecting Tampa’s diversity.

“Tampa is really Latin,” Porrata said. “I’m actually Cuban myself. Even though I don’t listen to a lot of reggaeton, I think it’s really popular, especially on a campus as diverse as USF Tampa.”

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Attendance at previous Homecoming concerts has been significantly lower than the Yuengling Center’s capacity, which is up to 8000 people.

Porrata also said she thinks the concert is a good opportunity to connect with students who share common interests.

“It can allow people who aren’t as comfortable or don’t use social media as much to come out of their shell, get out of their comfort zone and meet new people,” Porrata said.

Porrata said she would like to attend the training for the first time since it is her first year if it were possible this year.

“I just found out there was (a Homecoming concert) that would be cool to go to, especially if it’s something that’s been a part of Homecoming week in years past,” Porrata said. “I wouldn’t want to miss that experience.”

According to Lamar, the Campus Activities Board (CAB) also canceled the concert to focus on planning this year’s Round Up Comedy Show.

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The USF Round Up Comedy Show is a long-standing tradition, spanning more than a decade, Lamar said. According to CSI, it is one of the school’s biggest events of the year website.

The show usually takes place at the beginning of the fall semester. Last year’s event, featuring comedian Joe Gatto, drew about 6000 students. Previous Comedy show Round Up Comedians included Pete Davidson, Jimmy O. Yang and Nick Cannon.

This year’s comedian has not yet been announced.

Lamar also said that changes in the frequency of events, such as University Lecture Series (ULS), frees up budget space for CAB to select speakers for all CSI events.

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

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Porrata said she hopes the school takes this year’s re-evaluation to heart.

“We don’t want it to end up being, ‘Oh, you know, we didn’t do this last year, so we don’t have to do it anymore.’ I think it’s just about getting more feedback from students,” she said.