On an afternoon members of the Boston University India Club expected to show off for family and friends during their twice-annual culture show, club officials were forced to stand outside the locked doors of the Copley Theatre and turn attendees away instead.
The show was canceled after Student Activities Office officials failed to send a necessary insurance certificate to the Copley Theatre, a form legally required for the theater to open its doors to an audience, according to a Copley Theatre spokesperson. The BUIC was notified of the show’s cancellation at 5 p.m. the day before the show’s opening. An administrative mix-up in SAO caused the show to be canceled, according to SAO director Carolyn Norris.
‘We asked a representative of the SAO to help us [turn people away],’ said club president Samata Narra. ‘It was five degrees outside, and we were standing there all afternoon telling people that the show was canceled when it wasn’t even our fault.’
There was, however, no help from any representative of the SAO.
The BUIC had planned on having both afternoon and evening performances at the 700-seat theater. More than 1,000 parents, friends and curious attendees had to be turned away and have their money refunded.
India Club members responsible for the production said they were unaware of any possibility of cancellation. Parth Desai, a College of Arts and Sciences freshman and the show’s coordinator, said only days before the notice from the Copley Theatre and SAO, he had been at the theater to assist with last minute details.
‘We had gone to Copley three days before [opening day], and they explained everything as though the show would continue,’ Desai said.
Desai said the short notice was the show’s biggest setback.
‘The show could have gone on if the call had been made on Thursday,’ Desai said. ‘We would have had time to get in touch with the SAO, to see what’s happening. But Copley called at the end of the business week, and there was nothing we could do.’
A Copley Theatre spokesperson said SAO had neglected to turn in the insurance certificate and SAO had been notified less than 24 hours before the opening day of the show of the cancellation.
Narra, a School of Management senior, also said the insurance certificate was for a large sum of money and that SAO, while admitting its mistake, has been unresponsive to the Club’s calls for retribution.
‘They didn’t send [the insurance certificate], and it was a big deal a certificate for $1 million,’ Narra said. ‘The SAO said that they apologize sincerely, but other than that, they have been unresponsive.’
Narra also said the club asked SAO to take a certain amount of responsibility for the show’s cancellation, but the club’s demands were ignored.
‘We asked a representative of the SAO to speak before our club members to explain the reason for the show’s cancellation,’ Narra said. ‘Carolyn Norris said she didn’t see any need for that.’
Rina Shah, an India Club member and a CAS junior, said the club not only had to refund the ticket buyers’ money, but had also lost valuable funds because of the cancellation.
‘We paid for printed programs, flyers, everything,’ Shah said. ‘And there was no profit from the event.’
Narra agreed that the India Club had lost money, but said she is certain SAO will pay them back.
‘The SAO is covering those costs,’ she said. ‘We will not take ‘no’ for an
answer.’
Norris and SAO have since apologized for the mistake and its unfortunate consequences, and has recognized the significance of the India Club.
‘The India Club is a great group on campus, and we feel awful about this mistake,’ Norris said. ‘We screwed up big time.’
Narra, however, said the fact that such a huge mistake could occur in an administrative office is absurd.
‘The biggest thing is that our parents give a lot of money to this school, which basically pays their salaries,’ Narra said. ‘We [India Club] are not being paid, we are volunteering, and we managed to get things done. Why couldn’t they?’
BUIC has tentatively rescheduled the cultural show for Dec. 8.
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