After several incidents involving security lapses and equipment damages in the Fine Arts Building practice rooms used by a cappella groups, the music department has decided to discontinue granting rehearsal space to non-academic groups next fall, unless a system of accountability can be developed.
‘We’ve had both increased use and abuse of some facilities to which a cappella groups have been given use,’ said Timothy Perry, music department chair. ‘The faculty reached a point where they are not willing to accept it anymore. They’re the ones who have to teach here.’
Over the years, professors noticed audio equipment damages, scattered garbage and out-of-place furniture when they entered the classrooms in the morning to teach.
Recently, rooms were left unlocked, and two weeks ago, someone broke a desk and made carvings on a grand piano, Perry said. The damages will cost thousands of dollars to repair.
‘We don’t have a contract with SA,’ Perry added. ‘We don’t get anything for the use of the rooms.’
A cappella groups receive keys to one or more rehearsal rooms from the music department at the beginning of the semester. Because many groups rehearse late at night and have access to the same rooms, it is hard to determine who caused the damage.
‘We can’t be giving keys to use our facilities and let them trash them, can we?’ said Mary Burgess, associate professor in the music department. ‘We like a cappella groups; we like music. We just don’t like that our equipment is broken.’
The faculty voted anonymously last Tuesday to withdraw students’ privileges to use rehearsal space at the conclusion of this year, unless the system changes.
Monica Lee, president of Rhythm Method, said the groups are scared about losing their space, as most were not responsible for the damage.
‘It’s the actions of the selected few that are affecting how the faculty view the rest of the a cappella community,’ she said. ‘It’s just one or two groups that are acting irresponsibly ‘ We make sure the rooms look presentable for the next day, to clean up and check the doors.’
Joe Rousseau, president of the Treble Makers, said the group will have to work closely with the department to determine who caused the damage so innocent groups won’t get punished.
Discontent has been growing among faculty since March 13, when a behavioral incident involving Kaskeset, a Jewish a cappella group, occurred.
‘They were filming nude people in rehearsal classrooms and exposing themselves to faculty and students,’ Perry said. ‘If it wasn’t for the snow storm we had that day, elementary kids [who were supposed to visit campus] could have seen it.’
The department revoked Kaskeset’s privileges to rehearse in the Fine Arts Building.
Members of the group did not respond to repeated calls for comment.
A few days after the incident, the music department suspended three a cappella groups ‘ the Harpur Harpeggios, the Treble Makers and Rhythm Method ‘ because the rooms they were using were left unlocked and damage to the equipment was discovered.
They were soon reinstated, however, because the department could not ascertain if they were responsible, Perry said. The groups also did not know how to lock the rooms properly.
Last Monday, Perry sent an e-mail informing all a cappella groups of the department’s intention to reevaluate their access to Fine Arts facilities, and on Tuesday the faculty voted.
‘Some faculty felt we should cut off access immediately,’ Terry said. ‘But we gave them a warning and we will let the groups that keep working well with us to finish out the year.’
Burgess said the faculty will accept a new system in which the groups are held accountable and forced to pay for the damage they cause.
One proposal suggests limiting the access of each group to one room, Perry said, so the department would know whom to punish when the equipment is damaged.
‘Right now, when something happens they point fingers at everyone else,’ he added.
The department should announce their decision by the end of the semester.
Lee said there is only one a cappella room outside of Fine Arts, which is located in the New University Union.
‘It has terrible acoustics,’ she said. ‘Vibrations [an oldies a cappella group] use it now and they’re going to keep rehearsing there three to four times a week. It’s not feasible for all seven groups to use it ‘ If we get turned out [of Fine Arts], we have no place to go.’