*Disclaimer: PLEASE DO NOT DONATE MONEY!!*

The University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) has had to make some adjustments to compensate for the serious deficit they are facing due to the severe lack of international students enrolled at the school. It is clear that some of the major plans have been to make cuts to staff and positions, or merges with departments. While we can recognize these decisions are effective in saving the university money, the concern is towards the seemingly shortsighted consideration as to the effects of these cuts on the students. 

For us in the theatre department, not only is Heather Robertson (our Wardrobe Manager of the last 26 years) being let go but the entirety of the Wardrobe Manager position is being cut. This means, for the future there will no longer be someone to manage, source, alter, or create our costumes. That entire crucial element in our storytelling has been taken away from us. 

The removal of this role completely eliminates an entire design component of the process. As theatre students, we cannot help but feel slighted and shorthanded as we will not be getting the thorough theatre education we were promised when we enrolled. A significant part of what brought some to the institution was the theatre program they offer. More specifically, UFV is one of, it not the only, institution in the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland that offers a Bachelors of Arts with a major in theatre. Even before this transgression, as a faculty we have been left with minimal resources compared to what was advertised. For example, we have been waiting for a proper theatre to be built for us since the decision to move the program from Chilliwack to Abbotsford. To put simply, we were already handicapped and now this decision leaves us more underprepared as theatre artists and threatens our chances in working in the field in the future.

Heather herself expressed before how delicate and sensitive the position of a trained Wardrobe Manager is. She shared that someone in this position must recognize, respect, and work around sensitivities such as religion, gender identity, and insecurities. It’s also not just pulling pieces of clothing from a storage locker. It entails considerable attention to detail, alterations and additions to clothing, maintenance, talent/skill. Not just anyone can do this and it certainly is too much responsibility to leave for the students to handle. 

Furthermore, costumes are also a substantial piece of our art and a critical device used in our storytelling. It can be understood that the costume is armour for both actor and character. The actor needs something they can put on that helps them mentally and physically shift into their character. The costume helps the actor feel comfortable in delivering the best performance they can. For the character, the costume is a part of their identity, it represents who they are and what kind of life they experience. A character’s clothing does as much storytelling as words do, and aids in sending the message the theatre artist wishes to communicate. Neglecting this aspect of theatre serves a serious disservice to what we create and can feel as though we are not taken seriously as artists. The removal of this role completely eliminates an entire design component of the theatre process.

Put simply, this decision is leaving us theatre students shorthanded and feeling unimportant. We cannot help but feel as though the university was simply concerned about saving money and not about upholding the infrastructure to achieve their mission, which is to provide the highest quality education possible and help guide their students towards their careers. 

We would greatly appreciate your support in any way you can. Signing this petition will help represent the number of individuals who share this concern in the hopes it can be presented to the board at UFV so they may recognize alternative action needs to be taken to rectify this situation.

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If you would like to help even more, below is an email template that you can send to the higher ups 

Please add to it, make it your own, and write from your experiences. (the direct copy/paste might be flagged as spam)
Emphasize how this decision impacts your experience, your education, your decision to stay at UFV, and the quality of your training. You can talk about what you have learned through costumes and why you think it is critical for the position to continue. Whether you are a theatre student or not, any email expressing your opinions on why this position is so necessary will be greatly helpful.

List of people you might want to email
President James Mandigo: James.Mandigo@ufv.ca
College of Arts Dean Sylvie Murray: Sylvie.Murray@ufv.ca
Associate Dean Tetsuomi Anzai: Tetsuomi.Anzai@ufv.ca
Academic Advising Directors Elaine Newman and Bobby Jaswal: Elaine.Newman@ufv.ca & Bobby.Jaswal@ufv.ca

A good CC list would include
Student Union President Bilal Faisal Faheem: president@ufvsus.ca
Faculty & Staff Association President Greg Mather: Greg.Mather@ufv.ca
SoCA Director Shelley Liebembuk: Shelley.Liebembuk@ufv.ca

Dear sir/madam,

I am writing as a concerned student regarding the decision to eliminate the Wardrobe Manager position in our theatre program. 

While I understand that UFV is facing some financial pressures, this decision feels extremely short sighted and risks causing damage to the quality and integrity of my education. The removal of this role eliminates an entire design component of the theatre process. As a student, this makes me feel slighted and shorthanded as I will not be getting a thorough theatre experience in my future here. This decision leaves me underprepared as a theatre artist and threatens my chances in working in the field in the future.

I am sad, outraged, so very angry for the state and future of our beloved theatre department.

Signed,

YOUR NAME