UT Cites Budget Woes In Closing Cactus Cafe, Informal Classes
As music makers and lovers celebrated successes at the Grammys this weekend, Austin’s music community was heartbroken after the Austin-American Statesman reported the Texas Union‘s Cactus Cafe will close in August.
The Union announced on its website Friday that “to reduce costs and repurpose resources to better serve student needs,” its board of directors (largely made up of students) had given its support to closing the Cactus Cafe and canceling Informal Classes.
Since the Cactus Cafe opened in 1979, it has hosted and boosted the careers of musicians like Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, the Dixie Chicks, and the late, great Townes Van Zandt, who played there more than 100 times.
Eight years earlier, in 1971, the Union’s Informal Classes were introduced, offering courses to students, faculty, and the Austin community for a nominal fee. Classes focused on education, hobbies, fitness, personal growth, and professional development. UT officials told the Statesman about 10,000 people enrolled in informal classes last year.
Texas Union executive director Andy Smith said in a statement that most of the patrons of the Cactus Cafe and Informal Classes were not UT students.
“Athough popular with some audiences,” Smith said, “these programs are no longer profitable and do not fit within the core mission of the Texas Union and Student Affairs.”
Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and Speaker of the House Joe Straus recently called for state agencies to submit budget reduction plans by Feb. 15. UT has been examining several ways to reduce the state-funded portion of its budget by 5 percent, or $29 million.
The Tuition Policy Advisory Committee suggested in January raising tuition for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years by 3.95 percent.
Both Informal Classes and the Cactus Cafe were previously self-sustaining but hadn’t been in years, according to the Union’s announcement.
Smith estimates shutting down the programs will save the Union about $122,000 a year.
The Austin community is largely unsatisfied with these reasons for shutting down the Cactus Cafe. Fans of the venue quickly spread the news on Twitter over the weekend and continued to sound off on it Monday morning. Three facebook groups were created dedicated to the cause. The largest, Save the Cactus Cafe (Austin, Texas), had 7,300 members by 10 a.m. Monday.
President Powers is holding a town hall meeting Tuesday afternoon to discuss the University’s overall budget cuts and reallocations, and many Cactus fans tweeted that they planned to attend.
The meeting will be from 4-6 in an auditorium in the ACES building, room 2.302. It is open to the public.
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10 Comments
Andy Smith said “If the Cactus and the classes were making money, we wouldn’t have had to cut them,” Smith said. "They don’t serve students, and they don’t break even or return a profit.”
Andy Smith is looking at the Cactus the wrong way. It should be run like a valuable part of Austin’s culture, the same way the Blanton and the Ransom Center are run.
The Blanton, the Ransom Center, and The Bass Concert Hall also don’t serve students but UT keeps them open. These venues don’t make a profit but UT keeps them open. The Ransom Center, as I far as I know, doesn’t bring in any revenue, it’s free admission. UT still spends millions on it each year. So Andy Smith’s points about not serving students and not making money are NOT valid excuses for shutting down the Cactus.
A good leader would try making changes to keep the Cactus and Informal Classes profitable. One simple fix – raise prices on the 10,000 students enrolled in Informal Classes. A small $12 increase would cover the shortfall. Another simple fix – do a fund drive for the Cactus. The arts donors that support UT’s Ransom Center, The Blanton Museum, and Texas Peforming Arts would also support the Cactus Cafe.
There is no reason the Cactus should be closed.
Amen, Eric. It’s ridiculous that this minor shortfall should lead to a kneejerk baby/bathwater reaction. BOTH Informal Classes and the Cactus provide valuable services to the community. If you were to make a list of similar programs – thriving programs – of other universities, that list would be as long as your arm.
Clearly, Smith and Co. were doing what we do too well these days — deleting line items to make a budget rather than thinking long-term about tradition, culture, and value.
I can’t believe they are closing it down, there seems to be so many other ways of cutting costs and it comes to this? They need to take a second look at this before they finalize this decision.
This is truly sad. Both the Cactus and Informal Classes were valuable to Austin. BAD DECISION.
Amen, Eric. It’s ridiculous that this minor shortfall should lead to a kneejerk baby/bathwater reaction. BOTH Informal Classes and the Cactus provide valuable services to the community. If you were to make a list of similar programs – thriving programs – of other universities, that list would be as long as your arm.
The Blanton, the Ransom Center, and The Bass Concert Hall also don’t serve students but UT keeps them open. These venues don’t make a profit but UT keeps them open. The Ransom Center, as I far as I know, doesn’t bring in any revenue, it’s free admission. UT still spends millions on it each year. So Andy Smith’s points about not serving students and not making money are NOT valid excuses for shutting down the Cactus.
A good leader would try making changes to keep the Cactus and Informal Classes profitable. One simple fix – raise prices on the 10,000 students enrolled in Informal Classes. A small $12 increase would cover the shortfall. Another simple fix – do a fund drive for the Cactus. The arts donors that support UT’s Ransom Center, The Blanton Museum, and Texas Peforming Arts would also support the Cactus Cafe.
Is $122,000 a year really worth closing such important landmarks for the community? Can’t they just get rid of an overpaid employee?
This does not seem to be a good time for anyone finanically.
That was very informative. Thank you for sharing.
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