The effects of HB265 have reached Castle Country. The bill — which seeks to cut $60.5 million from the budgets of the state’s universities — has had its first casualties at Utah State University Eastern with the proposed cut of the Theatre Department at the Price Campus.
The first round of cuts came after the university merged five colleges into two. Of the initial 14 cuts, the Theatre Department is the only program impacted at the Eastern Campus. This comes as the state legislature looks to reduce what it describes as “administrative bloat.”
“We just want some answers. Why us? Why theater,” said Brent Innes, the associate professor of Theatre Design and Technology. "With the legacy of theater in Carbon County with USU Eastern dating back to 1939 from Carbon College days, theater is one of the original offerings outside of general education going back to early Carbon College days. So, there’s a very strong legacy, and it does affect the community.”
As a whole, USU must make a total of $17.3 million in cuts, $12.6 million from HB265 and $4.7 million from previous legislative action.
A letter sent out by USU Interim President Alan L. Smith explained that these cuts were made based on different data points the legislature asked schools to consider. These include graduation rate, wage outcomes and program costs.
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This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.
