Take some initiative

On Thursday, the Arts Initiative @ Columbia will hold a community meeting to discuss the formation of a permanent Student Arts Committee. The committee’s role has yet to be defined, and students should take advantage of this meeting to help redefine the arts scene on campus.

Since 2004, the arts initiative—often referred to by its Web site’s name, CUArts—has focused on making cultural institutions at Columbia and around New York more accessible to students, faculty, and staff. The Ticket and Information Center in Lerner Hall, supported by CUArts and the Office of the Provost, has already supplied over 100,000 free or reduced-fee tickets to Columbia University ID holders for various on- and off-campus events.

The initiative offers Columbians a much needed service, and it plays a critical role in fostering a vibrant, passionate, and creative artistic community. It is hosting this week’s meeting in an effort to incorporate more community input into its endeavors—and for this it should be commended. The purpose of the meeting is to allow students to decide the structure and function of the Student Arts Committee, and CUArts has been careful not to set any concrete boundaries for what the committee will do. It is up to students to determine how successful it will be.

By participating in Thursday’s meeting, students can capitalize on the offer CUArts has made to them. It is yet another example of the energy the arts initiative has applied to increasing students’ access to the arts. Because the students themselves are forming the committee, their input is vital to its success. Unlike many other programs offered by the University, CUArts is giving students considerable control.

The arts initiative has reached out to students at every stage of planning the committee. We have been given a forum through which we can shape how the student body engages in arts at Columbia. It is now our turn to act.

Tags: Opinion, Editorial Board