feature story

Outline
student account
- When and how they found out
- their reaction

What happened
- what programs were cut
- how many students and faculty were affected
- amount they had hoped to save in the cut

How the staff will be affected
-losing jobs

Affect on students
-financially
-class schedule
-value of degree

Opinions on the cut
- what could have been done differently
-why cutting the program was a bad idea

Horror, anger, demoralized, are just a few words used by Theatre Professor Terry Converse to describe his reaction to the WSU decision to cut the department of Theatre and Dance from its curriculum as part of the budget cuts in July of 2009.

Nick Fitzgerald, a sophomore theatre major at WSU, said he was shocked and frustrated by the news. Before the final decision was made Fitzgerald didn’t take it too seriously because he figured they wouldn’t cut a program with so much history and awards, he said. Before the final decision had been made Fitzgerald along with many other WSU students rallied on Glenn Terrell Mall and asked students to sign their petition. Fitzgerald said the rally was unsuccessful because he believes the administration had already made up their mind.

Converse agreed. “Even through the whole dialogue (between the department and the faculty senate) it seemed that they already made up their mind,” Converse said, “It was pretend dialogue.”

The decision to phase out the theatre major was done as a part of the WSU budget cut. According to the Seattle Times the budget cut also included the termination of the department of Community and Rural Sociology as well as the German major. The theatre program would continue until July of 2011 to provide certified theatre majors and minors ample amount of time to finish the program. The program is no longer certifying. Converse said the cut was estimated to save the college about $325,000.

“In the great scheme of things it isn‘t that much money,” he said.

While this year seems unaffected by the decision next year, people will start to see a change, Converse said. He said many professors won't have jobs to begin with. Aggravated he said it’s really murky right now; we aren’t even sure who all gets to stay for the last year.

“No one has really been straight forward as to what will happen as of yet,” he said. With a sarcastic laugh Converse said “It’s the great unknown.”

Many of the faculty are scrambling to find new jobs and after the last year is done everyone will have to, he said.

Six professors and at least 100 students will be affected by this cut, Converse said. Kristen Nagel, a theatre major and a former student of WSU, said this decision has completely reshaped her life. Nagel is now attending the University of Idaho. Nagel said because there was no guarantee that there would be plays to perform her senior year she had to transfer.

“There is no point in being in a program in which you can not get experience,” she said, “That is kind of the point.”

Nagel said the transfer was more than the inconvenience of moving and paperwork. She said the move affected her financially as well as socially. The move was expensive and all of her friends are at WSU she said.

While Fitzgerald stayed at WSU, he was still affected but the cut. He said he is having to take all of his classes for his major now while they are still available and he fears that he isn’t getting the quality education he should.

“If the classes seem just thrown together I will go somewhere else to get the education I need,” he said.

Fitzgerald is also concerned that the phase out will devalue the degree. He said he is worried that employers won't find his degree valuable because it seems as though the program wasn’t important to the college.

Some people said the budget problem could have been handled differently.

“Take a little out of athletics, take a percentage out of athletics so a whole department doesn't have to be terminated,” Converse said.

Nagel said she understands the motive of WSU but disagrees with their method.

“I'm not naive, I understand that the school needs money,” Nagel said, “I just don’t think the whole department should have been cut.”

“This was the most drastic plan of action and I feel that it was the wrong one,” Nagel said.

Travis Perks, a chemical engineer major, who claims to have not been affect by the cuts said he disagrees with the way the budget cuts were done. He said it doesn’t seem fair to take away everything from some students and nothing from others. According to the Seattle Times President Floyd did not want to do a cut across all the programs because he did not want to take away from the stronger programs.

Some believe this decision will affect WSU negatively. Nagel believes the school is losing students because of cutting theatre. Now students who are interested in majoring in theatre wont even consider WSU, she said. Fitzgerald said the college is loosing a part of its culture and will never be the same.


Sources
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009350439_apwawsubudgetcuts2ndldwritethru.html

Theatre Professor Terry Converse (interviewed in person)
Phone: (509)335-5161
Email: converse@wsu.edu

Nick Fitzgerald
Phone: (253)732-0051

Kristen Nagel
Phone: (360)870-8838

Travis Perks
Phone: (509)539-9389