Over the past three years, I have come to notice where Quinnipiac spends my money: on athletics. I have nothing against athletes or people who go to the gym. Many of my friends are on sports teams and, occasionally, pay the gym a visit. However, it is all too obvious that QU favors athletics. When it comes to any area of art and creativity, however, no financial support provided by the university is apparent. The music and art departments have one classroom each, and the theater minor has a tiny, box-size room, that’s even called the “Black Box Theater.”
Pine Grove, the pathway going up to Liberal Arts, is one of the only areas of artistic expression on this campus. This was one of my selling points for coming to this campus in the first place, because it made me think that the school was actually artsy. Unfortunately, QU knows they can get more new students by buying new gym equipment and constructing a new building devoted to athletics.
The music department’s single classroom consists of folding chairs and a piano probably as old as the university. Any concert put on by the Sonny Costanzo Concert Series is held in Buckman Theater, which is not large enough to accommodate the high demand of people who want to see the performances. Folding chairs have to be placed on the stage, surrounding the performer, in order to fit more people in the theater. If you walk down the “art hallway” in Tator Hall, you see the one glass display box for student’s artwork, as well as one wall dedicated to a few students’ drawings. The one art room on this campus, across from the display box, is constructed with fluorescent lights, and the extent of their art supplies is basically computer paper and number two pencils for students to work with.
The theater minor, which I did not know existed until earlier today, has the Black Box Theater in Liberal Arts II for students to perform in, yet I’m almost positive less than a quarter of students on this campus knows that this room even exists. According to someone enrolled in the minor, QU is trying to construct a theater major, and will ship students to the Long Wharf Theater in a shuttle to perform, instead of spending the money on expanding our existing theater.
The campus literary magazine “Montage” attempted to bring creativity to the campus last year with its first ever Creativity Festival held in Alumni Hall where students could display their artwork, photography, and music. The event had slam poets, musicians and even IDD students displaying their projects. More students than we ever expected sent in their artwork and other forms of talent to show to the school. There are just not enough outlets to display students’ talents.
However, being a member of Montage, I know for a fact that this campus is completely devoid of expressing creativity. The one ancient piano in the single music classroom, along with the sad excuse for art supplies in the single art classroom doesn’t allow for any students to take advantage of their creative talents. Instead, they have to take their creative energy out on the brand new elliptical in the gym.
