[CAUT] Student fees

[Richard Brekne]

Hi Eric

I think my first <<worry>> would be this developing into the only 
funding for piano maintainance a university has. You know 
administrators... they are almost as bad as politicians. This is like 
one of those surcharge taxes.. you know... like the gas tax that is 
supposed to be earmarked for building and maintaining roads.  Very easy 
for these to end up being tapped for other uses, and if your salary is 
dependant on it as well then.... well you know what the word squeeze 
means, and if you dont you will :) Then too... students who have <<paid 
their dues>> as it were may (or may not) feel more at liberty to 
...ah... shall we say ... "overuse"  instruments. They may even begin to 
question why the local tech hasnt kept their favorite instrument in 
exactly the shape they want it.

Ok... so I am a bit of the pesimistic here... but my experience is that 
there is at least one ying for every yang of an idea... sometimes more, 
and its a good idea to try and figure as many of them out ahead of time 
before jumping into the pool.  I mean... who knows what might be 
swimming around in there :)

My own feeling is that one simply has to hold the line and insist that 
institution funders understand that it actually does cost money to 
maintain a piano park.  There are certain realites in this world that 
are inescapable in the end.  It costs at least a dollar ninty nine to 
buy a slab of chared meat on a peice of dry bread trying to pass for a 
burger. Bottom line.  Ketchup costs extra

Cheers
RicB

Wolfley, Eric (wolfleel) wrote:

>I've been trying to get them to do this here for the last 5 years and the
>Dean is finally willing to utter the words "student fees" now and is
>actually considering it as an option. The state has cut our budget every
>year for at least 15 years and we are down to the bone. Since we already
>have an adequate maintenance budget, my suggestion has been to establish a
>line in the budget (there is no such thing now) to apply the new funds
>towards a program of purchases. This way we will actually be able to set a
>PLAN into place and not just react to emergencies. The Dean wants to assess
>piano majors only but I think everybody should be required to chip in. We
>have approx. 1,500 students here in counting all departments, graduate and
>undergraduate. If we have them each pay $25/quarter ($2.50 per week), that
>will amount to $37,500 per quarter for three quarters and less for summer
>quarter. This is nothing to sneeze at. My rationale for charging everybody
>is that everybody uses the pianos here be they drama majors, e-media majors,
>oboists, pianists or singers. Even if they use a piano just once a quarter,
>the cost to have that piano there in good working order is the same as if
>they were using it every day. You can't have part-time pianos.
>
>I have yet to talk to anybody whose institution has a line item in the
>budget for piano purchases and it just boggles my mind. Why is it this way?
>It seems to be universal...if you want to get new pianos you have to find
>somebody to donate them or create an endowment. It's been that way here
>since the Conservatory was founded and it sure is hard to add a new budget
>line. Of course, they did do just that a few years back so they can buy
>everybody here a new computer every 3 years or so. They call it the
>"technology fund" and is funded by student fees. I got a good laugh from the
>dean when I asked for some money from that fund for my "digitally-activated
>tone generating devices". I guess 19th century technology doesn't count.
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Eric Wolfley
>Head Piano Technician
>Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
>University of Cincinnati
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>  
>