No Second Chance For University Players
Last updated: Sunday August 11th, 3:13pm
The University of Windsor plans to continue its plans to close University Players according to CUPE 1393. The union says this decisions is despite being given the opportunity this week to consider a range of viable options presented to them by the union.
On June 18th, the University announced that University Players, the production unit within the School of Dramatic Art, will cease operations as part of campus budget cuts.
Local 1393 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the six affected positions within the School of Dramatic Art, said on Friday it was working with the university administration to explore alternative opportunities and support mechanisms for those impacted by this decision.
“A 65-year history of graduating world-class actors, directors, producers and technical experts in theatre, movie and television has been eliminated thanks to short-sighted budgetary realignment measures that will only serve to diminish the educational experience for students, CUPE 1393 maintains that the University Players should have and could have been sustained if there had been the desire from University administration to support the arts at University of Windsor, the wider Windsor Essex arts community, and the industry as a whole. It would have cost them nothing to implement creative solutions and preserve both these positions and the reputation of the University,” the union said in an emailed statement.
“The entire staff of University Players and CUPE 1393 wish to thank everybody who has called, written and emailed the administration of University of Windsor to express what a terrible mistake is being made with this closure. We always knew how important University Players was to all of you, and we did everything we could to provide viable alternatives to save University Players, but ultimately the administration has failed to act on the opportunity to reinstate this essential part of the School of Dramatic Art.”
In an emailed statement the university said “To ensure the continuation of academic excellence in the School of Dramatic Art, the University of Windsor will proceed with its plan to close University Players. A thorough evaluation of alternatives proposed by University Players employees found that none would achieve the required savings, and all would still result in significant financial losses. This decision allows the University to prioritize academic programs and focus on ensuring new and innovative experiential learning opportunities for students.”
The union says their priority now is to support their members as the layoff process proceeds.
