Clarissa Saunders and Elijah Su reveal how the Student Dance Union builds power against cuts.
This episode focuses on the formation and goals of the Student Dance Union at San Francisco State University in response to severe departmental cuts. Host Cole from the campus-focused podcast *The Bite Back* is joined by guests Clarissa Saunders, the union's president, and Elijah Su, its event coordinator. They detail the specific crises facing the School of Dance and the student-led organizing efforts to address them.
The School of Dance has lost beloved faculty and lecturers from decades-long positions. Its technique and performance-based curriculum has vanished from the course catalog. Dance majors are now forced to supplement their major requirements with unrelated classes from other departments. Some departments are staying afloat solely due to the work of a single tenured professor. The Student Dance Union aims to help classmates find community and collective power. They are fighting the dire state of their department and the creative arts on campus overall. The union's efforts represent a direct response to persistent education cuts impacting every college differently.
Initial impacts of budget cuts elsewhere include the loss of lecturers and fewer enrollment options. The situation in the School of Dance demonstrates a more advanced stage of depletion. Students have witnessed the erosion of their specialized curriculum firsthand. The union seeks to build musical and creative solidarity among affected students. Their organizing highlights how budget austerity manifests uniquely in arts education. This episode serves to spotlight and amplify their specific struggle.
The tone is conversational, supportive, and focused on grassroots student advocacy. The style is informal and direct, reflecting the host's identity as part of the student body.
This episode would deeply resonate with students in arts disciplines, campus organizers, and anyone interested in education funding battles. Listeners seeking broad political analysis or non-student perspectives might find its scope too narrow.
