LETTER: University underestimates importance of creative arts

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by Caroline Harris

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To the editor:

This semester students have again been turned away from introductory creative arts classes due to overenrollment.

Nearly 70 students showed up for the three sections of basic drawing, which can each hold 15 to 16 students.

Also, 50 students showed up for poetry writing this semester, and only 20 of them could be accepted into the class.

These trends are nothing new. Over the past couple of years, student enrollment has exceeded the class limits in the basic studio arts, in photography and in creative writing.

Last semester, for example, 52 students competed for 14 spaces in the introductory creative writing class.

Unfortunately, the students who get turned away from these classes are often underclassmen or have unrefined writing samples -- in other words, the very students who can learn the most from introduc- tory courses and who will be able to further pursue the creative arts during the rest of their undergraduate careers.

Regardless of whether these students become art or engineering majors, they have demonstrated that they want creative work to be a part of their academic experience.

An undergraduate education is about learning different modes of thought in various subject matters, and the requirements of many majors should not be just for distribution or just for fun -- they are an important and essential part of our education.

In general, Rice University overlooks the importance of the creative arts in the academic experience of non-art majors.

The architecture class for non-majors has been canceled, and non-majors must pay a couple hundred dollars for music lessons.

In the Campanile orchestra, which claims to be "primarily" for non-majors, music majors take up many seats in all but the string section -- non-major wind players who want to play in an orchestra but who do not have the time to practice hours every day must compete against majors for places.

At least most music performances are open to all students; however, when seating is limited, as in the case of opera performances, student attendance is curtailed by charging admission instead of limiting the number of tickets.

Finally, as part of tuition and fees, undergraduates get free admission to all sporting events and most college parties, but students must pay to see theater performances and art films.

If the administration can recognize that attending sports events is an essential part of the Rice experience, surely they can recognize that exploring and appreciating the creative arts is an essential part of an undergraduate education.

Caroline Harris

Hanszen '97

Editor in Chief

University Blue

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the January 26, 1996 issue.

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