Anonymous Art Student Testimonials

“With the news of the new sports facility that the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is going to build, art students were filled with rage. Some students started to take pictures of the rat-filled and moldy building that they were forced to spend their days at. They shared these photos on social media and it sparked conversation across campus. It soon led to a meeting with the dean and others to have an open conversation with the art student body. This is the updated testimonies from said meeting.”

1. “I have been at this university for six years and I can confidently say that we have had the same materials since I came to the Rustenburg building for my classes in 2017. My friends have said in the past how the university always organizes a meeting to talk about wanting to help us, but alas, it has been six years since that promise.”

2. “Rustenburg Hall is a historical building that has seen many faces and memories.  Throughout the years it has served as a learning hub for Art majors.  Many disciplines are learned within these walls.  As we all know, Art is an inspiration to the world or to say we are the muse of the world. Yet, while others sit in a nice and well air conditioned class room while they listen to lectures, we as artists get the privilege of learning in a workshop / classroom,  just because we use materials that are smelly, dirty, and noisy, doesn’t mean that we do not deserve a quality work space. That phrase of “Quality workspace” seems to be overlooked by the administration. We have the honor to attend a university with beautiful architecture and open spaces. Our department is deserving of the same beauty.  It’s funny how our department creates beautiful pieces, each unique with our own characteristics, yet we do it from the bowels of this campus. We have all seen the infestations, the overcrowding of students, and oh, lets not forget the poor quality of maintenance. Basic maintenance that merits repair, but instead the administration decides to throw a little paint over it. I am here to tell my student body that I have had enough. Our tuition dollars are just as equal as the other student’s tuition dollars, but they are not allocated in the fairest manner. Help me, help us, have our voices heard and have the administration at the very least keep the rodents out.”

3. “I should be graduating already, but due to less classes in Brownsville I have to wait a whole year to complete my classes and graduate.”

4. “In regards to the Rusteberg building located in the UTRGV Brownsville campus, it has been reported that several issues are present within the facility. These issues include a lack of soap, toilet paper, and paper towels, as well as inadequate space for artworks and poorly functioning pottery wheels and kilns. Additionally, various health hazards have been identified, such as mold, rats, and extreme heat. These health hazards can potentially lead to illnesses such as asthma and allergies. The building also lacks proper and uniform furniture, resulting in students receiving hand-me-downs from other buildings or departments. Furthermore, the patio area outside that connects the drawing/painting studio to the sculpture and ceramics studio is subpar, with rocks and a nearby trash can contributing to muddy conditions and difficulties in opening the door from the outside. Finally, leaks in the air vents and ceiling, along with overall poor cleanliness, have been noted.”

5. “I don’t like how most of the classes are in Edinburg and we don’t even have a secure way to get to our classes over there without always being late. The classroom for printmaking is inside the same building as ceramics and we can hear each other whenever we talk. It gets hard to concentrate or take tests when the class next to us is playing loud music or using the wheels.  Another thing to add is the plumbing in the toilets. They don’t flush and we don’t even have that many restrooms here in general. Also, it’s sad how used to the rats we are when everyone else sees how truly bad it is.”

6. “There have been a couple of times where I have seen rats while taking my classes in the Rustenberg hall building. It has gotten to the point where it even becomes a distraction for us students.”

7. “We need more wheels in ceramics. Most of us here have to wait for the next class or get here extra early to just get a wheel. Sometimes the next class is already there on the wheels because they know they wouldn’t be able to during their own class time. There is only one janitor that comes and cleans the whole building by himself. I feel bad for him because the studio is such a mess. We don’t have much space so everything is cluttered. The seating is horrible because some of the classes have just stools to work with and it hurts so many people back where they already have back issues to begin with. The walls are also little to non-existent. The classes are always inconveniencing each other as the professors have to “battle it out” to see who is louder while lecturing.”

8. “One of my main issues is the access to food. Being far from the main campus, we have to do a lengthy walk to get food in general.  I am personally at school from 10 am to 10 pm. The closest thing we have to us is the bookstore and it closes at 1 pm. The next thing closest to us is the Comedor and it closes at 6 pm. The farthest and last thing we have is the grid and it closes at 7 pm. Most of our classes are scheduled to be mostly at around 4pm-7pm and 7pm-10pm that leaves us no time to go and get food unless we skip class to go eat. This wouldn’t be an issue if we had vending machines. We have no vending machines in the art buildings. Most, if not all, of the other main campus buildings have vending machines. They even have fancy ones with meal preps. Some of them are filled with sandwiches and desserts in them while we are left here practically starving. We don’t even have a vending machine with water at least.”