‘Extremely difficult’ — UWindsor explains killing of University Players

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A senior University of Windsor official said the decision to cut the University Players theatre program — accounting for $500,000 of the institution’s $5.6-million budget shortfall — was not made lightly. 

“Sometimes in the face of very difficult budget constraints, universities have to make hard decisions,” said University of Windsor provost and vice-president Robert Aguirre. 

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“This one struck a nerve.”

During a sit-down interview with The Windsor Star, Aguirre explained that the university’s cost-saving measures do not solely target the School of Dramatic Art, but rather, represent a 1.5 per cent cut in spending levied equally across all departments to help balance this year’s deficit.

With rising costs amid “historic” budget pressures due to a provincial tuition freeze and federal cap on international students, Aguirre said the “extremely difficult decision” to end the 65-year theatrical legacy is just the first of many cuts to come.

“It wasn’t targeted at any particular program or group of students,” said Aguirre, who was appointed to his current position a year ago. “Every single operating unit, every faculty of the institution had to suffer a budget cut.”

But the announcement that came in the form of a brief press release two weeks ago has the theatre community asking why it would kill a program that offers students experiential learning through its four annual productions at Essex Hall.

Since then, a Facebook group called Save the University Players has emerged, where members share letters they’ve mailed directly to University of Windsor president Robert Gordon. A Change.org petition launched two weeks ago by a first-year student who said she is personally affected by the decision to kill the program, had garnered more than 3,500 signatures as of Wednesday.

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President Robert Gordon — whose more than $372,000 annual salary comes out of the $344.6-million budget — declined the Star’s requests for an interview.

In an emailed statement to the Star, a spokesperson said the university’s administration costs account for seven per cent of the operating budget, and is shrinking, facing a 7.8 per cent cut this year alone.

The dean of each faculty — most familiar with their department’s priorities — were tasked with deciding where the spending cuts would be applied, said Aguirre.

A university spokesperson originally told the Star that salaries and operating costs for University Players consistently outpaced the $87,000 in revenue generated by the performances by more than $1 million per year. They did not respond in time for Wednesday’s print deadline to explain how eliminating the theatre program accounted for $500,000 of the deficit. 

The School of Dramatic Art has also been contending with a 50-per-cent decrease in enrolment over the last decade. About 106 students are currently enrolled in the program, and 36 were expected to begin their first year in September.

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“We don’t expect every (program) to, let’s say, run a profit,” said Aguirre, adding that ideally, all faculties should break even.

“We’re a non-profit organization. But costs that exceed revenues by a factor of 10 are just not sustainable over the long-term.”

Aguirre did not specify which portion of expenses University Players revenues were supposed to cover.

Asked to clarify which programs lose money, Aguirre cited engineering, sciences, education and law as “among the very, very successful faculties” but said “we do not pit one group against another.

“We are not really running programs based upon their profitability.”

Last week, members of the university’s board of governors, who wish to remain anonymous, told the Star they only learned of the decision to eliminate University Players on the day of the public announcement, June 18.

But Aguirre said there was a ‘misperception’ about the board’s role in budget decisions. 

He said members were briefed on the “budget at large,” but are not responsible for making decisions at the operational level.

“Budget reductions of this size and scope would mean reams and reams and reams of detail for the board, which the board does not require,” said Aguirre.

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“It’s a common expression across University boards — ’Eyes on, fingers out’,” he said.

When asked for an example of the board’s oversight, Aguirre pointed to the new student residence building under construction. In that instance, he said, such figures including the costs, specifications, and number of beds were presented to members.

A board meeting had been scheduled for June, coinciding with the date of the public announcement, but it was canceled at the end of May. Aguirre said it was called off because there were no additional budget-related agenda items to be discussed with the board at the time.

The board will not convene again until October.

Although the theatre itself is closing, Aguirre said he feels the School of Dramatic Art will continue to thrive, evolve, and change.

Over the coming school year, he said the program will explore alternative spaces to ensure students have opportunities to participate in theatrical productions.

mmazak@postmedia.com

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