(always make your cause about a positive rather than a negative. point out what people SHOULD be doing, not the incorrect behavior
Kinda hard to join now tho since they made it private (which kinda brings up issues of visibility and transparency but w/e #youdoyou)
So the group is mostly upset over budget cuts, specifically to the Music department, specifically changing Brian Ganz from Faculty & Artist in Residence to just Faculty
I don't even speak other languages, but I'm pretty sure that would translate to "Live the Ganz"... pretty sure it should just be "Viva Ganz"
Anyway here is their basic argument/platform
Here is some basic information about what is going on with the music department. If you have any information regarding the other arts departments please feel free to share. Thank you!So IDK I can see why they are upset but
Basically, certain members of the current administration are looking to restructure the contracts of both Brian Ganz and Jose Cueto. As of now the college pays them to both teach and perform because they are our artists-in-residence. These budget cuts would mean cutting their artist-in-residence status, which means no more concerts and only paying them to teach private lessons. This would likely mean that it would be financially impossible for Jose and Brian to remain with us. Our aim is to fight against these budget cuts to preserve the jobs of two integral members of the St. Mary's Community.
The worth of department is often discussed in terms of Full Time Enrollment or FTE. This basically means the number of credits each student produces. As you all know, the music department has many 1 credit classes as opposed to other departments which primarily offer 4 credit classes. This means that the number of credits produced by each student is not a fair way of assessing the amount of the student body that is involved in the music department. We actually serve as many people as other medium sized departments at the school.
Another argument that is frequently employed is that Maryland taxpayers should not have to pay the cost of private lessons, which are a large expense of the music department. However, music students pay $190 extra a semester for private lessons which partially covers the $490 a private instructor is payed per semester per student. In addition, music majors and minors often overload on credits because many ensembles are required for the major and minor, which means paying another fee to alleviate the cost of paying teachers.
And finally, there's Brian, who is estimated to have brought in a substantial amount of money from donors. The Zamanakos family that funds the Double A Cabaret has donated between 500,000 to 1 million dollars mainly in music but also in history because they fell in love with Brian Ganz's performing. Anyone who has been to Brian's concerts will know that these experience encompass much more than a passive listening experience; they open new horizons for students and community members. Everyone has something to learn from watching such inspirational performances.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this in support of the music department! I hope we can make a difference.
Budget cuts need to happen. And every department is making them. And the school is letting the departments make their own cuts, because, obviously, they are the ones that know best what they can cut. So, the Music/Arts department has, more than likely, made the decision on their own.
But it will be interesting to see how this plays out. They also planned a protest but it got cancelled. I don't understand how a protest gets cancelled but w/e~
As Goodpastor said "But what do you think?" Leave your thoughts in the comments.
