Students
question required event fees
By
Mike Sundberg
Daily Forty-Niner
Educational
fees may not only include tuition, Associate
Students, Inc., health services and textbooks.
Many classes at Cal State Long Beach require
students to participate in functions outside
of the classroom, such as attending dance
performances, theatre productions or musical
events.
These
events normally occur on campus, in such
venues as the Carpenter Performing Arts
Center or in various other theatres and
performance centers on campus. Because students
are already paying fees to the university,
some say they have difficulty understanding
why they are required to pay to attend these
events.
With
the recent rise in tuition costs, a number
of students feel that it is unfair for them
to be required to pay an entrance fee to
fulfill a requisite for a class.
“With
everything that I have to pay for already,
I have trouble with the idea of having to
shell out more money just to get a decent
grade in my music class,” music minor
Shane Besedick said.
Like
Besedick, other students said they feel
that by having to pay to obtain tuition,
they should be allowed to attend these theatrical,
musical or dance performances for free –
or not be required to attend.
Other
students said they are not quite as bothered
by the costs. In fact, some classes do not
require a textbook, and not having to pay
for the book helps make the cost of attending
performances affordable.
“I
don’t mind attending the events, especially
those I enjoy, because my class doesn’t
require me to buy a textbook,” freshmen
dance major Cat Rajcic said. “The
only downside is that we can’t return
a performance at the end of the semester
like we can a textbook.”
On
the other hand, some students said they
enjoy attending the events for the inspiration
they offer, as well as supporting the campus
programs.
“I
don’t mind paying for some of the
shows, because it helps students to see
that there are options for dancers after
college,” freshmen dance student Meghan
Klenz said.
According
to Michele Roberge, the general manager
of the Carpenter Center, the venue has a
mission to serve students, but also to provide
performing arts to the community.
“We
have to walk a thin line [in dealing with]
how to provide performances at a low cost
for students, and also provide quality professional
performances,” Roberge said.
At
the Carpenter Center, discounts are provided
for students and employees of CSULB, and
according to Roberge, the tickets are probably
the cheapest in town for such performances.
The staff of the center also works with
the music and dance faculty to try to provide
instructionally related material to students.
“We are always interested in knowing
what we can bring to the center to help
teachers with their courses,” Roberge
said. “We just have to balance staying
alive with fundraising and ticket prices.
Many students don’t realize that they
are seeing a professional performance when
they are [contemplating the cost] of the
tickets.”
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