Jay’Mi Vazquez – News Editor
The Students Arts League protested the new school of business and the university for lack of updates in the Earl Hall arts building on campus.
The protest was started by the Students Arts League over the last few weeks, but went into effect on Thursday, Sept.28. Several art pieces were put up and displayed outside Earl Hall on the front awning.
“The goal was to start a discussion,” Lead Coordinator of the Student Arts League Elisedd McGinley said.
“We wanted a conversation to begin surrounding the topic of fund disbursement and allocation around facilities on campus. Time and time again other departments especially the arts department are pushed to the wayside in terms of needs and attention,” Studio Arts major Sara Lareau, a senior, said.
There were about 20 students that helped the Students Arts League participate in the protest. The invitation was sent out to other art students as well to get as much help as possible, McGinley said.
This was the first installation of the protest. Both McGinley and Lareau said they are excited about continuing to create awareness about the fight for a new arts building.
“This is the first part of a series called spacial awareness. The objective is to make awareness about space and how we distribute space and more importantly, the role of artists on campus,” McGinley said.
“We will continue doing what we can to have conversations take place and the undermined issues to be noticed and addressed,” Lareau said.
Both Lareau and McGinley said they have received immense support from students, hoping to receive even more with the future installations of this protest. Faculty have yet to comment on the protest.
“Our students have been very excited about it. I know art faculty have noticed it,” McGinley said.
“Student feedback has been incredible, conversations are happening everywhere, and more and more eyes are going towards the current state of the arts department,” Lareau said.
The Students Arts League feels Earl Hall is an inadequate space for the projects students want to create and for the increasing number of students joining the arts programs at the university.
“We have the most comprehensive studio arts program in the state of public or private universities,” McGinley said.
McGinley said that the university is aware of the statistics involved with students involved with arts yet does not do anything to help it. McGinley is not upset about the new business building, but wishes that Earl Hall received the same treatment.
“[Earl Hall] has racked up over 10 million dollars in renovations to keep it up to building code. It doesn’t really meet the needs of the students who work in the building,” McGinley said.
The current space does not allow students to do projects like spray-painting, ceramics in a safer environment and certain metal projects they should be able to do. There is certain equipment that should not be on the second floor that currently is, McGinley said.
“We all do something of value. We deserve the space to do it to the fullest,” McGinley said.
“Earl [Hall] has been marked for demolition multiple times since 1993 and has needed multiple renovations in an attempt to keep up to code and safety regulations,” Lareau said. “Many other departments and buildings have seen major construction efforts and allocations of funds while Earl Hall has sat in need of a new building for around 30 years now. We have outgrown our current standings and need the facilities and resources to properly foster our growth as part of this university.”