For the sake of music education, students and faculty are making noise over cuts to the music program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
Ladner’s Emma Dotto, a third-year music major at KPU and president of the KPU Music Students’ Association, said music students and faculty recently learned the university would not be accepting any intake into the first-year foundation, diploma or degree programs.
“After meeting with the chair of the music department, we learned that the Faculty of Arts is required to make cuts from their 2019/20 course offerings,” she said. “Of all 21 departments in the Faculty of Arts, the music program will be taking a majority of the cuts, amounting to 40 per cent of the courses currently offered by the department. These proposed cuts effectively cripple the program and represent a serious blow to the Fraser Valley's musical community.”
She said the move by KPU means that future students have been suddenly denied application to the only institution they applied to and current students fear their quality of education is at risk.
“The issues run deep in this institution and a music program that was otherwise thriving, is now facing total turmoil due to poor financial decisions and poor leadership,” Dotto said.“For some students this was their only option. They only applied to KPU and now where do they go?”
She said the cuts not only have impacted first-year students, but also existing students in the program.
“The wind symphony, for example, relies on first-year students to come in and fill in those seats for graduating students,” she said. “A music program is all about community. You always have others with you. Mentorship is huge as well. That is all gone. The quality of the ensemble is lost. I see many students who can are looking to transfer because the program just will never be the same.”
Dean of arts Dr. Diane Purvey said KPU is trying to save the music program by seeking a new way to deliver it.
“The music program is unsustainable in its current format, with costs exceeding revenues at a ratio greater than two-to-one. The university runs it at a loss and any growth in the program only adds to that loss. Faculty have been encouraged over a number of years to make adjustments to the program so that it is more sustainable, but to date, no progress has been made,” said Purvey. “The music program costs nearly five times more than the average KPU program to run. We understand and support the passion for a music program, but that passion cannot override our need to run the program within a fiscally sustainable model.”
Purvey said music offerings need to be revised as part of the university’s broader fiscal plan.
“To conduct a revisioning process without disrupting the academic path of students already in a program, it was necessary for KPU to cancel the 2019-20 academic year intake. The reduction in courses for 2019-20 reflects the absence of first-year students to take those courses. KPU is committed to ensuring existing students can continue their studies through to graduation,” she said.
