The Major Events Committee has announced that Third Eye Blind will be performing on campus following a student vote which chose the band as the number one choice.

The band will perform on Saturday, April 24 in the Campus Center’s Schafer Auditorium. Tickets will be on sale to the student body from March 8 through March 19 at the campus center box office. With a student I.D., Allegheny students are able to purchase up to two tickets for five dollars each. Sales must be made with cash. After that, tickets will be on sale online and at the door of the event for  ten dollars.

“Everyone on M.E.C. is ecstatic about getting the student’s first choice,” said Rachel Faber, ’11, Director of Concerts and Special Events for the Allegheny Student Government.

There were a total of 1,107 votes tallied. Third Eye Blind received 410 votes. O.A.R came in second place with 358 votes and Girl Talk came in third and received 339 votes.

“More people voted in this survey than votes we receive for ASG president and vice president,” Faber said. “We have a good indication of what the students want to see and we think we’ll be able to please everybody with that.”

Brett Fuchs, ’10, is the ASG president and member of the M.E.C.

“Since the number one choice of the student body was Third Eye Blind, that’s the band that we went out and bid on,” Fuchs said. “Once the bid went out, they confirmed, and then since then the committee has been working on details for the band to come.”

This is the first year of the M.E.C., which is a mix of Allegheny Student Government members, Gator Activities Programming (GAP) members and representatives from the Office of Student Involvement. The group formed after difficulties arose in previous years with booking acts to perform at Allegheny. The new group, according to its members, is a success.

“M.E.C. has really helped GAP and ASG work together,” Fuchs said. “It really creates a better understanding between the groups and allows us to operate on the same level. I think the groups have worked really well together through this and it really allows us to operate without having disputes.”

Faber shares the sentiment put forth by Fuchs.

“We (the M.E.C.) really worked well together,” Faber said. “I was pleasantly surprised by the M.E.C. It was very simple and I wasn’t stressed.”

Hillary Houghton, ’10, is a member of the M.E.C. and GAP.

“The M.E.C. is very progressive and we’ve been able to do a lot of great things,” Houghton said. “We’ve made a lot of headway while in the past we haven’t been able to. Combining the two and having the M.E.C. is great, these things would not have been done to the caliber that it’s being done now.”

Houghton worked on booking N.E.R.D, who then cancelled their show last year.

“I think this is awesome for me because it’s finally coming to fruition,” Houghton said. “Being able to be a part of this process and being a senior, and by being able to give back to the campus in my last year, it’s really special for me personally.”

Rachel Higgins, ’10, is also a member of GAP and of the M.E.C.

“With the combination of the groups [GAP and ASG], there were new ideas being thrown around,” Higgins said. “I definitely think it was a positive experience.”

The process went relatively smooth, according to the members.

“ If they[Third Eye Blind] weren’t available, we would have went to the next available band,” Fuchs said. “Third Eye Blind was our clear winner.”

The band was chosen and narrowed down based on a few key factors.

“All of the bands on the list were in our price range based on the budget available for ASG and GAP,” Fuchs said. “Some cost more than others, but we made the decision on Third Eye Blind based on price range, availability, and most importantly, student want.”

Higgins stressed that she was very happy that the students were able to make the decision on who was coming to campus.

“The fact that we were able to listen to the student body, take in their opinions and to be able to book the top choice was very exciting.”

In addition to booking Third Eye Blind, the M.E.C. also has other big plans on their agenda.

“The M.E.C. works together to plan Springfest,” Faber said. “So this is definitely not the last thing you’ll hear from us.”

Schafer Auditorium holds 1,724 people, so students are encouraged to buy their tickets during the student purchasing period in March. More details will be released as they become available.