I applied to 16 or 17 different colleges throughout New York State. Every college I applied to I had an intended major of either advertising, communications, marketing, and journalism. Making sure that whatever school I ended up in had my major. Due to my financial aid award, horrendous high school GPA, and dorms with easy access to home I ended up at Stony Brook. Stony Brook has the School of Journalism and the School of Business but no Marketing major. No Communications major. No Advertising major. No Public Relations major. So I chose Journalism and a minor in Marketing (I would double major in both if possible). But as a Journalism major, I don’t feel so comfortable here. Aside from meeting the very comforting staff and exciting professors (Jonathan Sanders being my favorite) I still wonder why I’m here. This is a school that will no longer provide Theatre Arts as a major and minor option. Everyone around me is talented in mathematics and chemistry while I’m just good at writing. It’s really all I plan to do for the rest of my life.

But why care if I’m not a Theatre Arts major? Who goes to Stony Brook to major/minor in Theatre Arts?

Because I’m not interested in becoming a doctor or an engineer and know there are others like me who seek careers in the arts. Coming from someone who hoped that the offered digital media classes would help me with what I want to specialize in the future. How about the people whose best option was Stony Brook? What happens to them?

The fact that Dean Sacha Kop decided to eliminate Theatre Arts really bothers me. You displaced students, leave faculty jobless, and have no comments to say? Where is the money invested into Theatre Arts going? Why does Humanities have to suffer at the expense of making this school known for research?

I’m still questioning if this is the place I should be and if I made the right choice on May 1st, 2016. There are too many unanswered questions on behalf of Stony Brook representatives and I’m disappointed.