Though there was no entrance fee for Leeland’s Monday morning performance, students still paid for the big-name band to play at the “Sound and Spirit” chapel.

Each semester, Biola’s Associated Students Chapel Board chooses a well-known musician to play in the “Sound and Spirit” chapel service, paid for from their annual budget, according to AS President Lizzie Neely.

That budget is part of a larger AS budget which amounts to more than $1 million each year and is generated by student fees. As a part of tuition, each student contributes $240 a year to the AS budget, according to Neely, who was also hesitant to reveal just how much it cost to hire Leeland.

Leeland a “good deal”

“We are getting a pretty good deal,” Neely said. “We don’t want to damage Leeland’s ability to charge or ruin the relationship we have with them.”

As a result of the ‘good deal,’ Leeland was less expensive than last year’s Anberlin concert, which cost the AS Social Board around $45,000, Neely said. That price was slightly offset by selling tickets to the concert, which cost $12 in advance for Biola students, $15 in advance for all other concertgoers and $20 at the door.

Leeland invited by student demand

Neely said AS chose Leeland as the band for the fall 2010 “Sound and Spirit” because of student demand.

“Sound and Spirit” is designed to get students excited about the chapel program each semester, Neely said. Previous artists include Shawn McDonald, who played in the spring of 2010, and Future of Forestry from spring 2009.

“We actually had a lot of feedback about Leeland,” Neely said. “We did some surveys last semester asking students what bands they wanted on campus, and Leeland was one of the names we heard repeatedly. Much of our feedback was also gathered by the senators and from dialoguing with students around campus.”

Student response to Leeland’s performance

Freshman Melany del Carpio said she was excited to attend the Leeland chapel, no matter the cost.

“I had the time of my life!” she said. “I love them, so I’m okay with paying for them. It’s nice to have a bigger band every once in a while.”

Sophomore Josh Shadrach enjoyed Leeland’s performance and said he saw the significance of having bands in chapel.

“I think people connect with music differently than they connect with a speaker,” Shadrach, a worship major said. “I think it’s got a different way of reaching people, so I don’t mind supporting it just because I can see the value in it.”

AS aims for quality events this year

The Chapel Board is one of 12 AS departments, all of which are funded through student fees. Student fees also fund The Chimes and The Biolan.

For the rest of the school year, students can expect their money to fund the usual events.

“We’re just planning to do the normal things like Mock Rock, Poetry Lounge and Punk N’ Pie,” Neely said. “We are trying to be more creative with the activities we already have, but we don’t want to overload students with a lot of activities or events. We’re focusing on quality instead of quantity.”