On Feb. 24, SA Senate approved proposed plans to abolish and repurpose the funds for Studio 4109. According to the Feb. 24 SA Senate Minutes, the reason for the repurposing came after SA decided that Studio 4109 could be done on a different platform.
2020-2021 SA President and senior psychology major Sheryl Kambuni said the approval is the first step in recreating a version of Studio 4109 that “better fits the needs and wants of our student body.” She added that in the upcoming weeks, the newly elected SA president and current Studio 4109 director will be working to create a n[see[ew position that still entails some of Studio 4109’s original qualities.
“We will be working in the coming weeks to create a position that in some ways does what Studio used to do, but in many ways is a new channel to reach and positively impact the student body,” Kambuni said. “We have not narrowed down what that will look like, but we plan to maintain some of the comedic relief Studio was originally created to express.”
According to Kambuni, the general interest in Studio 4109 and its performances has declined in recent years. Kambuni attributes controversy over show content, a decrease in personal engagement and momentum and lack of students appreciation as a few of the reasons for the decline.
“After doing research on the origin of Studio up to now, it is clear that interest and participation has significantly declined for several reasons,” Kambuni said. “Also, in the past 10 years since the start of Studio, technology has changed the way we interact and consume information.”
Additionally, there is no financial reason that is contributing to the repurposing of the funds, according to Kambuni. Due to the change in technology over the years, the funds for Studio 4109 are now going to be used to reach students in more relevant ways.
2020-2021 SA Executive Vice President and senior marketing major Marcus Abejar believes that the SA Senate’s approval was a wise decision.
“Since my freshman year, I have only seen a decline in Studio,” Abejar said. “And I saw this as a wise choice to repurpose the funds for better use rather than wasting the time and money on something that is not as relevant as it was in the past.”
Studio 4109 Director Kevin Acosta says that while it saddens him to see Studio 4109 go, he trusts that this may be for the better.
“I believe that it can be a blessing in disguise for Studio assuming that it really is repurposed and made into something that can reach the students in a better way,” Acosta said. “While the loss of the studio was personally painful for me and the rest of the staff, we look forward to [seeing] what’s in the cards for Studio.”
