VCSU: Center for the Arts Taking Shape
On my way to class every day, I pass a construction site. It is a massive project and the eyesore it once was is becoming something of a marvel. The sheer size and grandeur of the building is a representation of massive support for the arts. It embodies a sense of opportunity for hundreds of students each year to achieve excellence and create something beautiful. The Center for the Arts is appearing before our eyes and the doors will be open before we know it.
President of Valley City State University, Alan LaFave, has been at VCSU for just over two years. He says, “the building is on schedule and on budget.” It is estimated to be finished in December of 2021. President LaFave continues, “[The building is] a testament to the university, our students, faculty, and community of Valley City. This facility will provide a venue for educational delivery for all VCSU students along with modernized performance, rehearsal, and studio space
for our students in an amazing setting. This building will help us to solidify our music education and art programs and provide opportunities for even more innovative and cutting-edge curriculum delivery.”
The current music building, Foss Hall, is quite old but its location is its biggest concern. The VCSU campus is surrounded by flood walls to protect against flooding from the Sheyenne river. Foss Hall is located on the wrong side of these flood walls, so once the massive walls are closed, hundreds of thousands of dollars of instruments, equipment, and sheet music is at the mercy of the river. From an inside perspective, location is not the only reason Foss Hall is getting replaced.
Elizabeth Gazeley, a music education major with focuses in voice and percussion, describes struggles with the current music building on campus. Quote, “as a percussion student, I have the unique experience that I play several very expensive instruments. Because of the expense, our current facilities only have one of each, so managing practice times with the other students and ensembles can be difficult.” She
continues that, “this new building will have a second set of these instruments in a practice room specifically for percussion students. This will allow me to practice much more often and at convenient times. This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to improvements upon our current building.”
In support of the music building and as a sort
of time capsule, a metal beam from the construction site was painted white and brought into the student center to be signed. The beam sat inside for over a week as it accumulated hundreds of signatures and messages to be literally imbedded into the new addition on campus. The current students attending VCSU will forever be apart of the
new building and their excitement will support the building for years to come.
The new Center for the Arts is simply a welcome addition to VCSU. Our music and art programs are exceptional, and it will be nice to have a building to reflect their quality. The facilities will be in use before we know it, filling the community with mu
sic and art. I think that Elizabeth Gazeley said it best, “we are all look
ing forward to this new chapter of VCSU music and arts.”
Valley City Express Wrestling competed at the Warner Northwestern Tournament in Mellette,
SD in a round robin bracketed event over the Valen
DayBack tine’s weekend.
All wrestlers compete in groups of 3-4, max 5 particpants per group.
Up next: Valley City Express Wrestling heads to the Carrington Indi
vidual and Dual Tournament, Feb 27th & 28th in Carrington, ND.
Results:
Carter Coghlan 1st Decker Bulow 2nd, 1st ever tournament
Conley Bulow 2nd Wyatt Maresh 3rd Bowan Bulow 2nd Kallen Hansen 2nd Chase Coghlan 2nd Andon Bulow 3rd