Amphitheater contest

Plans to build University High School Amphitheater draws mixed reaction

By Maurice O. Ndole

The Collegian

The Fresno State Amphitheater will soon be torn down to give way to a permanent home for University High School, but some students say it’s a bad idea.

Associated Students Senator for Arts and Humanities Apryl-Joy Pascua said she is opposed to the idea of tearing down the Amphitheater because students were not consulted.

But Associated Students Executive Vice President Juan Pablo Moncayo said students were represented in the meeting that voted to settle UHS in the Amphitheater.

Pascua said she is currently doing research to see how many students favor building a permanent UHS in the Amphitheater.

“I represent students and students don’t want the Amphitheater torn down,” Pascua said. “I just want to save the Amphitheater.”

According to an article in the University Journal, groundbreaking for the new school is expected to take place this fall and construction is expected to be complete by Christmas 2006.

But plant operations director Gary Wilson said the project is still awaiting approval for the lease of the land from the California State University main office.

The high school opened in 2000 as a project of The College of Arts and Humanities and it has a population of about 380 students, UHS principal Gerard Jones said.

Jones said understanding the purpose of the high school was essential for Fresno State students to accept the school. He said the school’s mission is to give high school students a better preparation for college.

“The high school was created because professors were amazed by the number of high school graduates who needed remedial classes,” Jones said. “They noticed a trend that students were taking longer than four years to graduate.”

Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities and chair of the UHS board of directors Vida Samiian said the school was created through a collaborative effort between Fresno State faculty and some of the best teachers in Fresno.

Samiian said the idea was to create a school, which did not only pick students with high GPAs but was an opportunity to all students who met its basic requirements.

“It’s kind of like creating a dream school,” Samiian said.

To be admitted to the high school, students need to have at least a C grade in Algebra 1 and have the ability to sing or play a musical instrument.

Samiian said there is a wrong perception that the high school was using funding from the university.

She said the school is funded by the state and operates under the Sierra School District charter. She said the funding that will be used to build the new school would be provided by the State Department of Education.

It is estimated that the project will cost $8 million according to the University Journal.

Jones said his school was working to build a good relationship with the university. He said he has made plans for his students to have their meals at the Residential Dining Facility in the dorms to ease congestion at the University Student Union food court.

“We just want to be a good neighbor,” Jones said.

Jones said the new building would ensure UHS students would not get in the way of campus activities because it will contain most facilities needed by the high school students such as a concert room.

“We don’t want to interfere with the college culture,” Jones said.

Pascua said she was not against UHS, but she believed high school students did not belong on a college campus. She said she would start a campaign to rally students against the project.

Pascua suggested the university should find a different location for the high school such as the field near Lab School where some of the high school classes are already located.

But Jones said the university considered several locations before settling for the Amphitheater. He said the university settled for the Amphitheater because of its proximity to the facilities needed by the high school such as the Music Building.

UHS curriculum emphasizes music as a performance art.

Samiian said it made sense for the university to lease the Amphitheater because it was not being used for concerts anymore especially after the construction of the Save Mart Center. She said Fresno State also had other concert halls, which can be used for concerts. She also noted the use of the Amphitheater has declined because of the strict reservation requirement.

According to the University Student Union rules, about six signatures from departments, which include the university police, are required to get approval to use the Amphitheater. People who rent the Amphitheater are also required to bring their own fences, security, sound systems and portable bathrooms. The requirements make it very expensive for student organizations to afford.

“It can easily cost $10,000,” Pascua said.

Pascua said instead of tearing down the Amphitheater, the university should repair the Amphitheater and make it easier for students to rent the facility.

But Samiian emphasized the greater need for the school. She said the school is a model to other universities, such as UC Merced, which intends to put up several charter high schools on its campus.

Samiian described the school as a gem in the university. She said since its inception, the school has sent almost all its graduates to college. She said the school has already earned a reputation of excellence and it is ranked among the top 20 schools in the state.

The project will mostly affect theater arts students, the marching band and student organizations that use it to rehearse their performances.

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