I recently read your article titled “Reaction” in the Feb. 11 edition of The Times-Delphic. Regarding the rising tuition costs, I am frustrated. As I read in the article, Cline has a new, fancy atrium and I hear that there is a skywalk or two somewhere on campus. However, I spend the majority of my time in the Fine Arts Center (FAC). Tuition has increased each year I have been here, and there has been no visible renovation done to FAC, where many of us spend all day. The dance room used for many classes will frequently leak from the ceiling, making a portion of the already small room unusable and frankly gross. Practice rooms in FAC have thin walls that allow you to hear sonatas from halfway down the hallway, and there is often a “battle” for spaces to rehearse or practice. I pay a comparable amount of tuition as other fine arts students at similar private universities, and their beautiful facilities make me jealous. As the departments grow larger, the facilities are failing to reflect that growth as well as the outstanding student work happening. I am proud to be a part of these departments and to be a Drake student — however, if I am expected to have to pay rising tuition costs, then I expect to see something done to improve the building that I jokingly refer to as my home nine months of the year.
Sincerely,
Caitlin Teters
Junior BFA Acting/BM Vocal Performance/MT Minor