There are more than 80 undergraduate majors offered at USF and only six — in addition to media studies — are majors in artistic careers. Most are STEM majors, offered with multiple graduate programs. Most of USF’s specialized arts programs are offered only as minors, like journalism, film and most recently, music. As creative careers continue to be put at risk, what obligation do liberal arts colleges have to support art programs in the same ways?
Like many other USF students, I’ve heard that this school is known for nursing, which was ranked a top 3% undergraduate program by the 2025 U.S. News and World Report.
That’s great, but USF is a liberal arts school, meaning it focuses on creating an interdisciplinary curriculum centered around the arts, science and the humanities, requiring 44 credits of core curriculum courses to graduate. Through that model, equality in the funding of all programs inherently ensures students’ academic, professional and personal success.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Performing Arts and Social Justice Program (PASJ) at USF, but its students remain unsure of their education’s future. Students in the PASJ major are required to go into either a dance or theater concentration, following the 2024 retirement of the music concentration due to school-wide budget cuts. USF’s music program is exclusively a minor now, limiting the access of music education for both current and prospective students.
First-year student Rose Shawver has been feeling the dissonance between STEM and art programs, noticing the lack of resources within her music minor. “We’ve cut many staff members and […] instrument specific studies. We used to offer stuff like cello and piano lessons for music concentration students, but those have been completely eradicated.” She said that the most frustrating part is the “one-sided battle” her and fellow music students keep fighting relentlessly, “by working to recruit new music department members and not giving up.”
Shawver is a STEM student herself, double majoring in neuroscience and philosophy. She says that “STEM professors put in the effort and […] I still do develop a pretty good connection with them and my classmates, but it’s just not the same.” According to her, the community throughout arts programs is more tight knit, which Shawver thinks is due to the small size of the programs. About opportunities and post-grad guidance, Shawver says, “We don’t have as many official events like guest speakers or internship opportunities within the arts program, but there are connections for sure.”
Inaccessibility to instruments and private spaces has also been affecting student musicians. Shawver said, “We have a couple practice rooms on campus that I use when they’re available to play my instruments. It would be nice to have more, they fill up quickly.” In addition, a limited amount of larger instruments and equipment, like drum sets and amplifiers, has made many student bands resort to off-campus practice spaces, most of which charge fees or memberships. A factor in the high demand for music resources is the fact that musicians exist throughout our school regardless of major or study, like senior economics major Joe Woodley, who’s also in the student band, Trivela.
Higher education is specifically designed to promote lifelong success by allowing people the access to knowledge and school-specific resources and at times, it feels like this mission isn’t being upheld for all programs at USF. The continual downsizing of arts programs at USF drought opportunities for students of all majors, hindering the education we work and pay for.
The USF Music Program still offers a wide variety of ensembles and classes for music lovers looking to get involved and harness their craft. If you want to support the PASJ department, ASUSF College Players is the student-run theater organization, and their Spring show “Clue” opens May 15th in the Studio Theater in Lone Mountain. KUSF is USF’s online-only radio station, which highlights student and local bands. In a city as vibrant as San Francisco, it’s also important to do our part as community members and support the arts. We can only “change the world from here” if we have the foundations for which to do so.
