Jennifer Freno’s art piece “Taking the Hit” is currently displayed in the critique area of the Robert Shaw Building.
Photo Credit: Photo taken from @jenniferfreno_art
After struggling with finances for several years and now dealing with retrenchment from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), Indiana University of Pennsylvania is deciding to enact the “IUP: The Next Generation” program. In a Zoom call addressing the decision on Oct. 14, President of IUP, Michael Driscoll, described this change as a way to “expose students to new ideas, challenge them with learning experiences outside the classroom … and help them to become critical thinkers and lifelong learners through a strong general education core and a diverse offering of subjects.”
According to The Penn, this plan involves a possible release of up to 25% of faculty members and will cause the College of Fine Arts and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences to merge. While there have been no definitive answers as far as specific departments being eliminated, it has been rumored that the journalism and public relations majors will be removed. In addition to major eliminations, up to 43 programs in the two colleges will be cut or significantly reduced, and class sizes will increase in number.
According to President Driscoll, this will change the campus into a doctoral research university that focuses on STEM. “IUP’s area of focus will be science, math, computer science, pre-engineering and engineering, allied health disciplines, behavioral health, business and proactive cross-disciplinary and multi-thematic areas.”
The changes will start to be put in place in the fall of 2021, but many students are still unsure of how to continue with their humanities and arts majors. When asked about this in the call, Driscoll stated that students with majors that are being eliminated will still be able to complete their education at IUP and will be accommodated on a case-by-case basis.
An increasing number of students, especially those with majors in the humanities and the arts departments, have spoken out against the decision with a petition and several hashtags on social media that criticize the cutting of majors and programs. A group of students have recently created the IUP Arts Initiative and plan to protest the decision by covering up art on campus with sheets and signs that read, “By order of President Driscoll.”
Jennifer Freno, a member of the IUP Arts Initiative and a senior arts and education major, says that “The plan with the fine arts is to slowly change it into a design program only focusing on graphic design. I am not sure on how people will earn their degrees once these programs are cut. Many underclassmen are considering transferring after this decision.” Jennifer has also created an art piece to bring more awareness to the situation. It is titled “Taking the Hit” and currently resides in the critique area of the Robert Shaw Building. While describing the piece, Jennifer recalls that “This program has led me to so many amazing opportunities. I cannot stand back and watch my mentors get ‘retrenched.’”
Senior and vocal performance major Kyle Chastulik is also concerned at the large layoff of faculty. “Given the highly individualized instruction in the fine arts at IUP, many of my colleagues in the music department have said they will transfer if the faculty belonging to their instrument is retrenched.”
Although West Chester has not received a letter of retrenchment, an increasing number of schools in Pennsylvania are at risk for department cuts and teacher layoffs under the PASSHE system and a new budget.
Emma Hogan is a first-year English Writings major. EH954390@wcupa.edu