The opinions expressed in The Lawrentian are those of the students, faculty and community members who wrote them. The Lawrentian does not endorse any opinions piece except for the staff editorial, which represents a majority of the editorial board. The Lawrentian welcomes everyone to submit their own opinions. For the full editorial policy and parameters for submitting articles, please refer to the About section.
It is explicitly evident that the current Lawrence University Administration values pouring money into athletics and new buildings, with little concern for what sets Lawrence University apart from other small liberal arts colleges in the area: our award-winning Conservatory of Music.
I understand that the athletics department needed upgrades. I know that new dorm buildings are exciting and necessary; I can’t even access the kitchen in my dorm without going down five flights of stairs. I am in support of upgrading equipment and buildings to be much safer and newer, and I want our student athletes to have access to the things that they need. I want our students to thrive! However, there has been an overcorrection. Money needs to be poured into the parts of higher education that truly educate students. The Conservatory of Music and its faculty are being ignored, and this has been going on long before the pandemic. I believe that our administration has lost sight of our Lawrentian value of the liberal arts when it comes to including our Conservatory in necessary investments and structural upgrades.
All it takes is one glance across College Avenue to see which parts of our university the administration is spending more of its money on. Memorial Chapel has large cracks in its exterior embellishments, and construction scaffolding has been in front of it throughout the entirety of fall and winter terms with no apparent changes. The Conservatory has flooded for years, continuously leaking from the ceilings because of poor infrastructure. I have seen workers examining the areas, but nothing has been announced, nor has there been any evident structural improvements. The Music-Drama building is very old and has outdated performance spaces; it is running out of storage space. The Conservatory lacks necessary custodial staffing, it is lacking in the latest technology and the “sound-proof” practice rooms are not exactly sound-proof.
If all of this physical wear and tear weren’t enough, the past “Conservatory of Music” page on the website is now listed under a subsection tab labeled “Music & Arts.” This seemingly simple change has our Conservatory faculty & admissions team frustrated, and our potential future students confused. Isn’t the Conservatory half of what Lawrence University is about? The Conservatory is an institution, not a department. I have personally heard it called into question by prospective Lawrentians and their parents if Lawrence is getting rid of our Conservatory. Based on the actions of our current administration, I’d say that their conclusion — although incorrect — is not misplaced, but it should not be something that Lawrence should have any potential students and families thinking.
I don’t want the Conservatory to diminish. I don’t think anyone involved in or employed by the Conservatory of Music wants that. The Conservatory of Music is why I applied to Lawrence. I love many of the faculty dearly. I love what I’m learning about and the education I have access to within the Conservatory. I am learning more about who I am and what I can do within the walls of the Conservatory than anywhere else on campus. In Shattuck Hall, the Chapel, Stansbury Theatre, Harper Hall, the Con couches, the countless lessons, etc. I am learning how to be my best self. I’ve learned, and am continuing to learn, the best ways of being human while within the walls of the Lawrence Conservatory of Music.
I know that a lot of our current students are not pursuing degrees from the Conservatory, and yet, I know that many B.A. students sing in choirs, play in bands and orchestras, work on concerts, work recitals, attend the events the Conservatory puts on, take lessons — the list goes on and on. As a past Conservatory Admissions Intern, I saw how many students came through our system simply marked as “Music Interest.” Simply put, this school is a place for musicians. Even if students are not in an ensemble, they write songs in their spare time. Many take music production classes. Many have a music minor, are studying privately on an instrument or take voice lessons in addition to their other academic pursuits. Every musician develops valuable life skills in the Conservatory that are impossible to learn in a purely academic setting. Anyone who spends any part of their day inside Memorial Chapel, our Music-Drama building and Shattuck Hall understands the valuable lessons and life skills that music and performing arts teach. Music is essential to humanity. Humanity is music. We would not exist without it.
Therefore, I am calling for all Lawrence students to recognize this overcorrection. I am asking for us all to become aware of the fact that a huge pull that has drawn students, interest and revenue into Lawrence for many years has been our Conservatory of Music and our access to artistic creativity in the liberal arts. I am calling out our administration for their gross overcorrection. I am asking for an urgent reexamination of the plans for the future of this institution. I am asking our alumni, donors, trustees and anyone who funds our university to take a look at what Lawrence University has always stood for and realize that there is more to our school worth supporting than only its athletic department and fancy new buildings. We need to support our music students, faculty and staff as well. We need to upgrade the Conservatory buildings. Our music department is one of the largest attractions for future Lawrentians, and if we continue to ignore it, we are ignoring half of what this university stands for.
I can only hope there are plans to majorly upgrade and strengthen support for the Conservatory in the near future.