In a town hall meeting on Sept. 7, details of Binghamton University’s newly proposed School of the Arts were discussed.

The meeting was hosted by Celia Klin, dean of Harpur College, at the Jean Casadesus Recital Hall in the Fine Arts Building. The event was open to the public, with professors, alumni and students attending. Klin spoke about the development of the school, which included the formation of a search committee for a director and the renovation of the Fine Arts Building.

BU hired the firm Red Cactus Marketing to conduct a competitive positioning analysis on how the University compares in promoting their schools to other universities with an arts school already in place. The firm found that alumni in arts careers may be reluctant to identify that their degree is from BU, as the University does not have a reputable standing in the arts.

Klin believes that the current state of BU’s arts programs suggests that the School of the Arts should be produced now.

“I think it’s the right time to create a school of the arts because our arts departments are strong,” Klin said. “By creating a school of the arts, it’s going to allow us to better support those programs, better market them and hopefully students who have an interest in the arts will think of BU.”

Pamela Smart, associate dean of Harpur College, outlined further details about the school of the arts, including renovations to accommodate all arts departments, although no plans are finalized yet.

“One of the things about the renovation is that it will allow the cinema department to join the other departments in the building,” Smart said. “So we will need more space and possibly the reallocation of some spaces not in use by other departments.”

Smart noted that there is no additional cost for the school, but there is funding for the school’s director.

“Because the school is within Harpur College and being built for students who want to take science and art subjects without any difficulty, there’s no infrastructural cost,” Smart said. “However, the director was to have been funded by Harpur College, but the president is so enthusiastic about this initiative that they have offered to fund the director’s salary, so that is a great example of enthusiasm.”

Several students expressed positive sentiment toward the school.

John LoBello, a junior majoring in statistics, is a supporter of the school, but does not think it needs its own physical space immediately.

“I think this could be a good decision,” LoBello said. “We could still incorporate the School of the Arts as an idea but not have to physically give it a location when it starts out. For example, although the [Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science] is designated in the Engineering Building, it seems like many Watson College students have numerous major classes outside of that specific building.”

According to a proposal sent to the Program Review Committee, the School of the Arts is working toward being a choice for students who plan to study another academic field while engaging in the arts curriculum.

Anaija Douglas, a junior double-majoring in anthropology and biology, expressed support for the initiative but has concerns about who the school is marketing toward.

“I support the initiative, but the only thing is that this is part of a trend a lot of colleges are doing to attract more students,” Douglas said. “By accepting more freshmen, it displaces pre-existing students, which causes a housing crisis. Attracting a more diverse group of students should be the goal, as this school of the arts will actually allow other students to feel part of the BU community and allow them to express themselves, as compared to having to work in the basement of the Classroom Wing or in a very confusing layout of Fine Arts Building.”

Joshua Macera, a junior majoring in integrative neuroscience, said they agree with the proposal, as they have found Harpur College to be more STEM-focused.

“The School of the Arts will definitely be beneficial since there would be more focus or bolstering toward the arts and [it would] make students actually feel part of the school,” Macera said. “Plus, the Fine Arts Building could afford to look a bit more aesthetically pleasing, especially since they’re planning to have all the arts departments in one place — given the cinema department is in the Classroom Wing’s basement.”