When selecting what college or university to go to, it should be a given that students will look at the description of the degree they’re interested in pursuing. Finding out the expectations of faculty members, seeing what facilities and options are available as well as what classes a student may take are just a few bits of information a student or parent may find.
This information being accurate and timely should also be a given, as major changes to a degree such as a gain or loss of available classes and facilities can make or break a student’s desire to even go to a certain university or college in the first place. And when these changes can affect current students, it should be announced quickly so nobody is blindsided.
Unfortunately, this does not seem to be what happened when Theatre Arts students learned they can no longer use the Pittsburgh Playhouse for student-led productions.
Just a month before the start of the fall semester, an email was sent out to Theatre Arts students announcing the change, stating that student-led theatre companies can no longer use the Rauh Theater as a student theatre space.
It’s one thing to yank away what could be argued as an important part of the major in the first place. It’s another to claim that this would not and could not happen, all while potentially working behind the scenes to change a fundamental part of the major.
As an editorial board, we have demanded better communication from the university for years. The Globe’s Point has directly called for this at least twice in 2023 and twice in 2022. Here we are in 2025, asking the university for the same thing as before — honest, transparent communication about what’s going on.
While student theatre companies can still use studios in the Boulevard Apartments to put on their own productions, the facilities simply do not compare to what is available in the Pittsburgh Playhouse — a space that should be open for students to use.
It’s understandable when things need to change for good reasons, and when changes are announced with plenty of advance notice. Less than a month before the start of a semester is not enough time to prepare for sweeping changes to a major.
For School of Communication students, imagine if the university decided the U-View studio could no longer be used for anything besides classroom instruction? Imagine if School of Education students were locked out of the specialized classrooms they are entitled to? Imagine if the School of Business lost interview practice space for reasons unknown?
When big changes like this happen that alter the promises of a student’s degree, these changes need to be explained thoroughly and clearly. Just stating that something is “unsustainable” and not elaborating any further likely will not answer anybody’s questions.
As The Globe has stated in the past and may continue to say if things do not change, honesty is the best policy. Even if knowing all the facts may not make people feel better, it’s smarter than throwing a blanket word out instead of explaining anything and calling it a day. It’s time to do more.