Our university has got a lot of things going for it. One thing that stands out above the rest, is the wide array of degree programs that are available at Point Park. There are a variety of students here nurturing their different interests.

And that’s great…until it causes problems.

Within the university, there is a distinct line that has been drawn between COPA and non-COPA, and even deeper within. There are those who perform and engage with the arts, constantly perfecting and honing their craft. There are those who dedicate themselves to academia, studying for long hours into the night; and those who create content day in and day out.

Within COPA, there are the performers, the actors and the dancers. But then there are the cinema arts students, or as they tend to call themselves, “nope-a,” paying COPA prices for an entirely different COPA experience. Where do they fit in?

Outside of COPA, there’s the rest of the students, paying a cheaper bill, but in programs with fewer students, less recognition and a lower budget. COPA puts Point Park on the map and on top ten lists. We all know this, and we are all made aware of this, often.

COPA and non-COPA is a division that must be bridged. There should not be this notion that COPA students only congregate together, spending every hour in the shiny new Playhouse that no one else may touch, meanwhile everyone else orbits around them. The Playhouse was proposed to us as a space for all to use. The entire campus should be open to all students for use, regardless of major or program.

Within the past few months, there has been an effort to increase diversity and inclusion that began with COPA and has expanded outward. These conversations have included the sentiment that a “culture change” is needed at Point Park. That culture change should happen now, and it should begin by uniting students from all courses of study.