Budget cuts have left UF art students with an abstract future.
About 125 students in the School of Art and Art History have been stuck in a state of uncertainty for the past month, waiting to hear if they have been accepted into their desired majors.
Every year around March 15, art sophomores apply for upper-division programs, such as ceramics, digital media or sculpture, by submitting a portfolio of their best work.
The decisions dictate whether students may continue in their majors and are usually released within a week.
But this year, the news has been delayed for nearly a month, and today may be the earliest students hear word, said Dana Myers, undergraduate adviser for the art school.
"I feel like I'm in limbo," said sophomore Victoria Nazir-Sampaio, who is hoping to be accepted into the graphic design program. "I have no plan for the future as of now. I'm registered for two classes that I don't even know if I can keep."
The school cannot release any decisions yet, Myers said, because it does not know how many transfer students it is allowed to accept, which influences how many UF students it can take.
In February, the Board of Governors, the highest governing body of the 11 state universities, requested that public universities reduce enrollment to help offset costs and ease the impact of recent budget cuts, UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes said.
UF decided to cut back the admissions of transfer students, Sikes said, because it already accepted freshmen and graduate students.
Myers said faculty members at the school already have been through their normal evaluation process, selecting applicants based on the portfolio and academic requirements only.
Everyone, regardless of transfer status, is evaluated the same, she said. But because of the situation, Myers said faculty has to review the applications again to prepare for the upcoming news, this time knowing which students are from UF.
This week, she said, the school expects to hear one of three possibilities from the Office of Admissions: It may either admit as many transfers as it wants, accept a specified number, or deny admission to transfers altogether.
If, for example, officials tell the school it can only accept 10, "well, there's a lot of work that needs to be done," Myers said.
On top of sorting out the issue, Myers said she's been busy with students coming in her office every day to vent or seek help with their schedules. There's been a lot of frustration and anxiety, she said.
Sophomore David Tarafa, an applicant for the drawing program, said he was a little upset after he read the e-mail from Myers explaining the situation in March. The delay is such a long period for so much uncertainty, Tarafa said.
"There's nothing I can do," he said, referring to his current schedule of two classes. "I don't understand why they didn't know about this sooner. They've been doing this every year."
Myers said most of the students have been cooperative.
One of the main things she has told students is to "just chill out," she said. "We're going to do our best to make it work."
