Have you ever wondered how UMass Boston goes about setting up concerts? Chuck Henriques, assistant director of the Office of Student Activities and Leadership, was in charge of much of the planning, and described the process to The Mass Media.

The process started at the beginning of the spring semester when Boston’s Brattle Entertainment contacted Henriques with a comprehensive list of artists. This list was narrowed down based on artist availability and cost. Three hired coordinators and a volunteer programming board then “mull[ed] over the decision,” and gauged feedback from their fellow students.

“For each concert, we probably start talking in January or February, when a lot of bands are already starting to create routing,” said Henriques. He added, “[Planning at this time] can be very useful. If you have a band that’s going to be nearby on a particular weekend, we can fit into that routing and possibly save on transportation.”

The show is financed chiefly from a trust fund generated by the student activity fee. The administration contributes towards the cost by supplying the rest of the funds needed from the Student Arts and Events Council’s budget.

This year, construction in the gymnasium necessitated changing the venue of the concert to the hockey rink. With a capacity of 1500, the rink is half the size of the gymnasium. According to Henriques, this did not pose much of a problem, since he knew about construction as far back as September. “As far as red tape, it’s our college, our concert. As far as red tape, I’d like to say [there is] none.” The only security concern, according to Henriques, is the fact that the campus is open to the rest of the neighborhood and peninsula.

Regarding the number of people who will be let through the gates, Henriques said, “Depending on where ticket sales are, a lot of [the concerns are about] fire capacity, but there’s definitely a decision to be made by myself and the administration of the university, as far as ‘Is it actually safe?’”

This year’s opening act selections ultimately turned out to be 20-year-old Roxbury rapper Moufy, who is well-known locally for his records “Boston Lights” and “Miss Newton.”

Freshman anthropology major Sarah Johnson chimed, “I like that one [Dev] song. And Moufy’s going to be here? That’s pretty cool!”

Kiley Evans is an emerging country artist from Marshfield, Mass., who is in contract negotiations. She has already been to Nashville and is currently receiving local country radio play on Cat Country 98.1.

Chart-topping “Dancing in the Dark” artist Dev, who has over 43 million YouTube views for her electro/rap single, is slated as a headliner. Her debut studio album “The Night the Sun Came Up” came out in September.

Junior neuropsychology student Elan Rochbert, who is also a professional DJ, said, “I like Dev. She’s put out some good club songs.”

The globally-known Taking Back Sunday is the other opening act, and will feature original lead guitarist John Nolan. They are currently on world tour, and recently played in the Philippines and Australia.

Sophomore Celine Chahine is going mainly to see Taking Back Sunday, but, “I like the options that are there. I like the variety. You can go clubbing [to Dev], and then you can rock out [to Taking Back Sunday]!”

Headlining UMass Boston’s annual Spring Concert on May 9 in the Clark Athletic Center Ice Rink are the musician Dev and the band Taking Back Sunday, with Moufy and Kiley Evans opening the show. Tickets are $10 with a valid student ID, the doors open at 5:00 p.m., and the show starts at 6:00 p.m.