It is always the art kids. First, in 2022, an art sculpture at Wey Hall was vandalized after a football game. Now, students are being forced to sit through construction noises during class, move heavy projects across campus and have class in old dorm rooms with limited space. 

Instead of the university handling the issue and providing compensation for art students impacted by the construction, students had to take matters into their own hands and create a petition for tuition reimbursement. The lack of space and access to materials that comes with moving students out of Wey Hall is having an impact on students’ college experiences and their ability to create art. 

Art students have nowhere else to go but the under-lit hallways of East, and they deserve to be compensated for this change they were unprepared for. In addition to East Hall being cramped quarters and poorly lit, the building also does not have air conditioning, which can make having class there in the summer unbearable for some students. Nobody wants to sit in a room and try to be creative while they are hot and sweaty, especially in a small space. 

The fact that these classes are moved to East Hall is also an issue of accessibility. The building has no elevator, making it impossible for disabled students to access the building. These students could not have their art class in East even if they wanted to, since no part of the building is handicap accessible. 

There is also no telling how many students are going to be affected by this or how long it will go on for. The university claims the aim is to complete the second and third floor in December 2024, and the first floor in May 2025. This is still far out, and it is not fair to expect art students to put up with something like this for that long. 

If students do continue to stay in Wey Hall instead, they face concerns about the state of the drinking water, construction noises and inconsistent ventilation. It is absolutely necessary that people feel comfortable and confident with the drinking water in their main academic building and the fact that this is not the case in Wey is unacceptable.

Why does the university not care about art students the way that they care for athletics? In 2022, App State spent $38.57 million in athletics operating expenses. The current project to renovate Wey Hall was supposed to take place around five years ago with a budget of $2 million, but the university decided to wait. Although the project now has a budget of $17 million, it is still not enough. If App State is spending close to $39 million on athletics each year, certainly more money can be budgeted to the Department of Art.