Jon English thinks the physical and structural repairs can be symbolized through a paper towel dispenser.

‘In the (Crouse College) bathroom on the third floor, the paper towel dispenser is broken, so when you try to get a paper towel the whole thing falls down and litters the bathroom,’ said English, an adjunct instrumental professor. ‘Administration told us that new dispensers were ordered over a year ago and we still haven’t seen them.’

‘It’s like the college – there are good intentions – but sometimes things just don’t get done.’

Last fall, the College of Visual and Performing Arts began to make renovations and modernize Crouse College, the building that houses the Setnor School of Music and VPA offices. Renovations started after a group of students and professors raised concerns of structural damage and a lack of proper teaching space to the administration.

So far, the renovations have included: new paint on the walls, new carpeting and soundproofing in one room, new desks in several classrooms, additional lighting in the Setnor Auditorium and a whiteboard for the piano lab.

The funds came from VPA Dean Ann Clarke and the Setnor Family, said Amy Griegal, concert coordinator and recruiting assistant, in an e-mail. Griegal did not provide an exact amount on how much was spent. Clarke and Brad Ethington, Setnor director, declined personal interviews.

Despite these efforts, more is needed, say those who work and teach in Setnor. Crouse College needs more practice rooms for the students and office space for the professors. And adjunct professors feel they aren’t receiving equal treatment, which some say affects their teaching.

‘In the eyes of the administration we’re looked upon like a second tier, a second class,’ English said. ‘These are just antiquated, old things that need to be changed.’

Over the past year, VPA has completed some physical updates to the building: A new carpet with underlying sound isolation material for our main rehearsal room and additional stage lighting to illuminate the stage extension in Setnor Auditorium. Other updates include new desk chairs in classrooms, a whiteboard for the piano lab and fresh coats of paint and plastering in several places in Crouse.

Griegal said that renovations are difficult since Crouse is built on top of a natural spring. Additional renovations are contingent on funds, Griegal said.

If VPA receives more funds, it hopes to install whiteboards in classrooms, purchase and install mirrors in each teaching space, and work toward providing some ‘smartroom’ technology in the building. The college would also like to upgrade climate control and install additional soundproofing for Crouse College, Griegal said.

Alec Sim, a senior economics and finance major, headed the unofficial group of students who lobbied Student Association, and the university, last fall to make changes in Setnor.

Sim acknowledged that VPA has made some progress. ‘A lot of the plaster issues and paint touch-ups have happened,’ said Sim.

But students need more space in Setnor, Sim said, for the school to remain competitive in his eyes.

‘A lot of last year was about raising awareness and taking care of the smaller things, but it’s like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound,’ Sim said. ‘The biggest concern now is that we have a growing school that is offering more private lessons to majors and non-majors, but there is limited space.’

Many of the professors don’t have their own teaching space, said Janet Brown, an adjunct voice professor and Setnor academic coordinator. The professors instead have to travel to different parts of the buildings carrying all their materials – sometimes forgetting important ones in transit.

A few studios would be opening up in the spring because some art classes will no longer be in Crouse College. The idea of moving classes to other buildings has come up, but Brown doesn’t feel like this would solve the problems the school faces.

Some of the teaching rooms lack windows, which makes it hard to teach voice lessons in a certain space, because voices can sound different depending on the environment, Brown said.

The rooms in Crouse College are often different temperatures, and instrumental sound depends on a constant temperature, English said.

Office space is also an issue, Brown said. Music professors need space to conduct one-on-one lessons, a vital part of the education.

Last year, Brown’s office was a practice room in the basement of Crouse College. But in August, she was moved to the third floor – a tenured violin professor needed her basement office to be close to the strings.

‘These conditions don’t make me feel like a good teacher, and I’m pretty upset about that,’ Brown said.

Space issues aside, adjunct professors feel taken advantage of, Brown and English said. They pay for their own supplies – pens, sheet music and recorders. They pay for gas to take their students to different competitions.

Adjuncts aren’t offered full health benefits. Brown became the academic coordinator to qualify. ‘I feel like I sold part of myself to the administration just to get an office and health benefits,’ she said.

Brown thinks if administrative officials were able to see what goes on in Setnor, changes would be made. Based on the questions that Eric Spina, vice chancellor and provost, asks about the school, Brown can tell that there may be different understanding levels between administration and professors.

‘I wish Provost Spina could spend a week with us, and just see how much we put into these jobs and how much little we get back,’ Brown said.

Spina declined an interview for this story.

‘Eric Spina is a smart man,’ English said. ‘And I think he just lacks the exposure and the experience of what we do everyday. I’m convinced that if he was made aware, and had a personal tour and a personal experience with what we have to do on a daily basis, he will come to the right decision.’

For English, the problem with Setnor comes down to the fact that he shares a filling cabinet with the other people in his office, his office doesn’t have a phone and the paper-towel dispenser is still broken.

‘I think in order for our students to get the respect that they deserve, then their faculty has to be treated as equals,’ English said. ‘These students are choosing to come and study here. They need to recognize it, and give us the structure to be the teachers we can be.’

kaoutram@syr.edu

Published on October 23, 2009 at 12:00 pm