After months of debate and delay, the University Senate passed a resolution 25-12 Tuesday to terminate the music therapy program as a result of the university and state budget deficits.
But the resolution still has a few steps to go before it is officially defunct. Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich needs to approve the measure in order for it to take full effect.
If the chancellor decides to cut the program, there will be a four year phase-out period, according to a Feb. 21 Spectator article, where students currently enrolled in the program would be allowed to graduate with the degree in music therapy.
Both sides of the issue voiced their concerns over whether it would be appropriate to further push back voting on the measure or resolve the issue at the meeting.
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Steve Tallant said two different but related issues are the reasons why music therapy has been targeted for termination.
“We’re short on money for course availability,” Tallant said, adding that lower-level required courses for a large number of students aren’t seeing the sufficient number of sections available. “We have shortages . to meet the basic needs of the university . a major weakness is the lack of resources.”
When faced with budgetary concerns, Tallant said someone is always going to hurt from what happens, but it is nevertheless inevitable.
“This is an extraordinarily difficult decision and it’s truly a dilemma we’re faced with here,” he said. “There’s no perfect solution and we’re all going to have some pain in the decision.”
Tallant added the termination of music therapy won’t be the only tough decision the university is faced with in the coming months and years.
Senate discussed the concerns about the single faculty member in the department and the possibility of reallocating a vacant position from the Department of Music and Theatre Arts. But Robert Knight, professor and chairman of the department, said that in order for the department to reallocate a vacant position to music therapy, one of the four current position searches, including one for a theatre position sought after for over a decade, would have to be halted. This is something he said would not happen because the other needs are top priorities.
“In the past five years the music area of the department has become the default choice for students interested in music from Wisconsin and beyond,” Knight said. “Should we cancel one of our theatre searches? If we do, then there is effectively no theatre major. Should we cancel the cello search? Such a reallocation would drop support for string students to a single, full time faculty member.
Should we cancel the keyboard search? Reallocation of the keyboard position would, simply put, cause the department to shrink by approximately 40 to 50 majors.”
However, Sen. and professor of psychology Barbara Lozar said other programs and majors haven’t received the same scrutiny as music therapy.
“There was never an evaluation of music therapy versus other programs,” she said. “Why is it less relevant than other programs?”
Student Senate vice president Meghan Charlier urged University Senate members to reconsider cutting the program, saying she wondered whether there was enough information to make that decision.
Student Senate has passed three resolutions in the past two years recommending that music therapy be retained.
“This is a huge decision but it needs to be made,” she said. “However, I feel like there’s still a lot of questions. We’re the only university in the UW System that has this program and students are in support of it, which can’t be overlooked.”
Fellow Student Sen. Aaron Wingad agreed, saying it wouldn’t be fair to consider cutting a program because of budget concerns.
“We want to make sure that this is considered without coincidental budget issues,” Wingad said. “I’m still not convinced that the program is of less value to students than anything else.”
