Making changes: UTRGV works with TSC to address art students’ concerns

Amid the discourse surrounding the Athletics Fee Referendum, students have raised concerns regarding the quality of university art facilities and the funding for art programs.

During the Nov. 11 Athletics Fee Referendum news conference on the Edinburg campus, UTRGV President Guy Bailey said the art facilities on campus are “very poor quality” and that the university will announce a solution soon.

Kimberly Sandoval, Student Government Association senator at large, said her goal is to get the university to start making changes.

“I’m glad that it’s reached the president’s ears,” Sandoval said in an interview Nov. 15. “It’s being acknowledged. Whether that means that we’re going to have the kind of change that we want is kind of left in the air, the kind of change we expect. Maybe, maybe, we’ll actually get them to fix some stuff.”

In a Nov. 8 interview, she said the reason the School of Music receives more funding than the School of Art is the enrollment numbers.

The School of Art and Design has 757 reportable students for Fall 2021, according to Susan Brown, assistant vice president for Strategic Analysis and Institutional Reporting. Its Fiscal Year 2022 budget totals $2,274,611, compared to $2,058,409 for FY 2021, according to information provided by Patrick Gonzales, associate vice president for Marketing and Communications. 

The School of Music has 418 reportable students for Fall 2021, according to Brown. Its Fiscal Year 2022 budget is $4,151,918, compared to $3,718,740 for FY 2021, according to Gonzales.

“It’s not even a secret in the College of Fine Arts that music gets the most money,” Sandoval said. “I’m glad they’re doing very well, but when they say it’s the numbers and they’re saying all these things, I don’t see the equality.”

She said she brought up the enrollment and budget numbers to Steven Block, the dean of the College of Fine Arts, in a town hall that took place before the referendum voting.

“I don’t think he fully knew how to respond to me because of how it was,” Sandoval said. “But, I also believe he was under a lot of stress at the time.”

In an interview with The Rider on Nov. 17, Block said the College of Fine Arts budget is divided among five departments: the School of Art and Design, the School of Music, the Department of Theatre, the Department of Dance and the Department of Creative Writing.

“If you want to talk in general about how they’re divided, they’re divided according to the size and the nature of the faculty,” he said. 

Because music is a collaborative art form, a greater number of faculty members are required, according to Block. 

“You can’t have a band without a trumpet professor,” he said. “Because of the nature of music as a collaborative art, all the parts have to be there in order for the student to get a proper education in any music program. It doesn’t matter what university, you’re going to have a greater number of faculty to hire.”

Block elaborated on the difference between enrollment numbers and student credit hours. 

While the School of Music has fewer enrolled majors than the School of Art, there are more credit hours being taken in music by the entire university than credit hours taken in art, he said.

As for student concerns regarding the art facilities, Block and Jana Arney, UTRGV’s executive vice president and provost, toured Rusteberg Hall, which is owned by Texas Southmost College.

“[Texas Southmost College is] not interested in selling the building,” Block said. “We have to lease it. … But, what you, basically, have is a landlord-tenant kind of situation.”

Recently, UTRGV and TSC began working together to address issues in Rusteberg Hall, according to Abraham Hernandez, UTRGV’s executive director for campus facilities operations.

“TSC, recently, probably within the last year or so, has new administration leading the facilities department,” Hernandez said. “We’ve been working with TSC on ongoing issues for this facility.”

The university communicates any issues raised to TSC, and TSC has been addressing them.

“If you look at the responsibilities, we are responsible for general maintenance,” he said. “TSC is responsible for major capital replacement.”

TSC and UTRGV have addressed, or are addressing, issues with the roof, air conditioning, water leaks and rodents in Rusteberg Hall, Hernandez said.

“We contact them on a weekly basis depending on the kind of calls that we get,” he said. “Our responsibility is to keep on TSC, to make sure they address our concerns. … We’ve seen favorable results in that they are addressing the items that we are bringing to them.”

Hernandez said TSC is working with contractors to address roof issues and a pest control company to address the rodent issues.

“At this point, I am pleased with the changes that I’ve seen in their response,” he said. “So, we’re going to continue working with them, because we do have to have a working relationship since it is their building that we’re occupying.”

The Rider called TSC officials Marcela Juarez, coordinator of Events and Leasing, and Edgar Chrnko Salas, director of Marketing & Community Relations. Juarez did not answer. Chrnko said he would set up an interview with Juarez. As of press time Nov. 22, Chrnko had not called back.

UTRGV has been looking into ways to obtain a new building, according to Block, but one difficulty is that an art facility requires a lot of space.

“We’re talking about 28,000 to 30,000 square feet at any medium-sized art building,” he said. “We’ve talked about … putting a portion of a building [by the new science buildings], but, again, a portion of a building is not going to get you 20,000 square feet. So, those are some of the problems.”

Block said it is an ongoing concern and that the university has been trying to come to terms with getting a new building. 

“They’re coming closer,” he said. “But, I hesitate to say it is going to be a success, because it’s a difficult situation.”

Change occurs slowly in universities, Block said, and he believes that his retirement and the hiring of a new dean will help the process.

“I think everyone understands that this can’t continue,” he said. “Change is coming. Whether it’s coming by the end of the year, whether it’s coming in a year and a half. Obviously, if we build a new building, that’s going to be longer. I can’t say. But I’m hopeful.”