Many Petaluma faculty members and students are angry about the purchase of a concert grand piano by The Friends of Petaluma Campus (FOPC) committee, which announced the decision at the Petaluma Faculty Forum Nov. 1.
The FOPC committee, an auxiliary committee of the SRJC Foundation, voted unanimously to purchase a 1917 Steinway grand piano for Ellis Auditorium. The piano, estimated costs of maintenance and programming, add up to a total of $150,000.
“We have students in need and reduced faculty,” said a faculty member at the Petaluma campus who asked to remain anonymous. “We have needs that may serve more students in terms of equipment and our direct service to students, and that would have been a better investment for the campus.”
A reception for the piano was held Nov. 17 in the Carole L. Ellis Auditorium. Approximately 30 people attended, including two faculty members but no students. The only people invited were those who directly contributed to the piano.
“There is a fund development strategy that has been developed by the foundation,” said Jane Saldaña-Talley, vice president of SRJC’s Petaluma campus. “When you’re doing fundraising like this, you typically approach your major gift donors first and try to provide an exclusive opportunity to experience something.”
SRJC transported the piano from Texas, and all travel was paid by the company that sold the piano. Red Bird is a private institutional piano selection center that helped FOPC get the best price possible.
In regards to why this particular concert grand piano was selected, Saldaña-Talley shared the process. “I contacted the music department and they suggested that I contact Dr. Leslie Dukes, accompanist and music coach at SRJC,” Saldaña-Talley said. “She then agreed to come with me to the selection center in Texas.”
Christina Kauk, chair of the Friends of Petaluma Campus Trust and part-time faculty member at SRJC, said that this purchase has been in the works for a long time.
“It’s not a new concept; it’s something we’ve had in mind all along,” Kauk said. “[The piano] was completely privately funded, so it’s not taking any campus dollars,” she added.
However, many students and faculty think that this does not agree with the FOPC online statement of: “Contributions are dedicated to the betterment of Petaluma Campus programs and students.”
Jessica Rodrigues, an SRJC student at the Petaluma campus, thinks this is not the right time to be making this kind of purchase.
“It’s so expensive for classes and you have to purchase your own books. I think it would be helpful if they could have provided us with books or something,” Rodrigues said. “I think it should have been used for educational purposes rather than a piano that only serves a few students.”
When asked about what other resources the Petaluma campus needs, Kauk replied: “A campus like this is never going to be completely done. It’s always going to need more and we are very aware of those things.”
Another faculty member, who also chose to remain anonymous, didn’t understand why the faculty was not informed of the decision until after the purchase.
“We just learned about this decision two weeks ago, and I had a feeling this was in the works for a long time,” the instructor said. “We also hired a dean of student services that the faculty voted unanimously against. This feels like one more example of the administration working on its own and not with students and faculty, and that does not help the district move forward.”
Kate McClintock, executive director of The SRJC Foundation, commented on the faculty members displeasure with the purchase of the piano during these tough economic times for SRJC.
“I don’t really know why [the faculty] would be upset,” McClintock said. “This is a project that has been underway for many many years, so I would think that the piano would be looked upon as a real asset, particularly for student programming.”
The Petaluma campus is offering two music classes for the spring semester: Jazz Appreciation and Introduction to World Music. All music practicum classes using instruments take place on SRJC’s Santa Rosa campus, indicating that students won’t be able to use the new piano.
The Petaluma campus will host an event called “A Touch of Vienna,” Dec. 4 in Ellis Auditorium, demonstrating the piano and its versatility. The piano can also be rented by companies and accompanists who wish to host their own events.
Still, faculty members and students point to other Petaluma campus needs; classes are overcrowded and students have trouble paying for their classes, books and other necessities.
“If [FOPC] can buy a $150,000 piano they can definitely help out kids who can’t buy books,” said SRJC student Bayardo Ardila, currently taking classes at the Petaluma campus.
For more thoughts on the the purchase of the the piano see our editorial.
Mary • Dec 7, 2011 at 2:55 pm
In response to “Bob” and “Lee” they fully understand that the money was not from the state. It seems ridiculously absurd when there is that much money raised, why wouldn’t they want to do something to benefit the students. With so many economic problems, wouldn’t helping students progress seem more logical than buying a piano that students cannot even use? If they were planning on buying a piano why would they buy one that costs $150,000 instead of one that is maybe $10,000?
Noah Diamond-Stolzman • Dec 7, 2011 at 2:45 pm
To me it’s like giving a homeless person a solid gold toilet. Sure, it’s a nice gesture, and it doesn’t harm them, so there’s really no grounds to complain. But of all the things to give, it really doesn’t help at all, especially with no bathroom to put it in.
Lee Ormasa • Dec 6, 2011 at 12:52 am
The old proverb “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” applies here. It means don’t be ungrateful when you receive a gift. The critics of the decision to donate a piano to the school “have put the cart before the horse” by shortsightedly focusing on their temporary individual circumstances and not appreciating the long-term betterment of the campus. Apparently “you can lead a horse to water but . . . “
Bob • Dec 2, 2011 at 2:07 pm
The writers of both this news piece and the editorial are woefully misinformed and myopic. To be upset at this purchase is absolutely ridiculous. It is similar to being upset with a person who decides to donate to a non-profit charitable organization instead of using that money to directly buy food for the poor who live in the neighborhood. No public funds were used in the purchase. This means that the money from the state and property taxes (which fund the operation of SRJC) were not used in the purchase. SRJC did not have to fire instructors, increase class sizes, or cut courses in order to secure the purchase of the piano. SRJC didn’t increase the cost of books or materials so that the piano could be bought.
Further, it is unfortunate that some in the student body seem to be misinformed on how tuition fees are structured. Simply put, fees are established and mandated by the state of California. There is no wiggle room on the part of SRJC to make the fees higher or lower. Therefore, the notion that fees could somehow be brought down or subsidized by using money that was donated for a specific purpose (a charitable contribution if you will) is ridiculous. I wish the Oak Leaf did a more objective job in analyzing and researching rather than following in the footsteps of Fox news.
To inform yourself about the function of SRJC foundation, please visit their homepage which has a full listing of FAQ’s: http://www.santarosa.edu/foundation/ .
Shouldn’t we be happy that SRJC has a symbol that reminds us of an art form that attracts great minds?