Surrey/Langley/Richmond – Victoria Parker-Poitras is a third-year music major at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She sent an op/ed piece to FVN to express displeasure with cuts to music programs among other courses. Cuts to music and fine arts will hit the Langley campus the hardest.
FVN has reached out to KPU for comment.
My name is Victoria Parker-Poitras and I am a third-year
music major at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. I am contacting you
because I would like to inform you of the unjust cuts being made to not
only to the music program but to other program at KPU as well.
In
fall 2018 the faculty of KPU was informed that the school was in a
small deficit but not to worry because it was being taken care of. Over
the course of the semester that small deficit grew into a large deficit.
Because of bad financial decision making, the Faculty of Arts was told
they have to cut 25 sections/courses from the upcoming Fall 2019 year.
It quickly became apparent that of the 21 programs in the Faculty of
Arts, the Music Program would be taking 100% of that cut and intake of
first-year students would be suspended. After negotiations, the Vice
President and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts denied any counter request
made by the music faculty to accept applications to core first-year
courses and let it stand that 25 sections would be cut from the music
program and intake would be suspended.
Earlier
this week all potential students who had applied to KPU Music received
an email informing them that due to unforeseen circumstances, intake was
suspended, and they would not be getting an audition. This happened
without the knowledge of the music faculty, who were almost as surprised
as we were at the news.
KPU
has not only made cuts from the music program but they have also made
cuts to the Farrier program, the Health program, the Design program and
the Academic and Career Advancement program. If you wish to learn more
about the cuts made at KPU please refer to this article https://runnermag.ca/2019/03/kpu-announces-plans-to-reduce-course-offerings-increase-class-sizes/?fbclid=IwAR3bQq_Qt6B6joTqv0TZV3gtSwKQ8aqt7EfZ1Cw22Y6Y8UFts41OvZ_JAQc
This is an important issue because 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 an arts program that was otherwise thriving (had applications not been suspended we would have had a full first year class in Fall 2019) is now facing total turmoil and its success is being threatened by poor leadership.
Best,
Victoria Parker-Poitras
