THERESA WALTZ/ Arizona Daily Wildcat Director Christina Jarvis conducts the Collegium Musicum ensemble. Jarvis' adjunct faculty position and the ensemble have been cut by the School of Music and Dance to offset state-mandated budget cuts.

When Robert Cutietta got to work last Thursday, he told his staff that no one was allowed to yell at him that day.

If students wanted to talk about budget cuts with Cutietta, the director of the School of Music and Dance, they would have to schedule an appointment for the next week. He said he had been yelled at enough for one week.

Like many disciplines in the university, the School of Music and Dance had to cut the numbers of seats it offers in general education classes, as well as reduce faculty and special programs.

The cuts are part of a university-wide effort to offset a $16.7 million budget cut handed down to the university by the state.

Funding to the College of Fine Arts was cut by about $340,000 this year, and that amount was passed down to areas like the School of Music and Dance.

But rather than waiting until the summer, Cutietta decided to make the cuts to the school budget last week and make the cuts known to the students and faculty they will affect.

The cuts will eliminate the entire vocal jazz program; Mariachi Arizona, the school's mariachi program; and Collegium Musicum, the school's early music ensemble.

In the process, eight graduate students and at least three adjunct faculty will lose their jobs.

Travel for student groups and faculty will also be reduced, and 1,300 seats will be cut from general education music classes.

In the next round of budget cuts, Cutietta said the school could see another cut of $80,000.

"The cuts have been spread evenly throughout the college," Vice Dean of Fine Arts Steve Hedden said.

The budget of each school in the college will be cut equally, but the schools determine how the cuts will be implemented, he said.

Cutietta decided to cut entire programs within his school instead of reducing each program's budget equally, to avoid "nickel-and-diming everyone so that no one could do their job well," he said.

That move was similar to UA President Peter Likins' decision last semester to cut university schools and departments unequally, as to not cause "long term damage."

And like those cuts by Likins, which controversially eliminated the Arizona International College, Cutietta's decisions have ignited trepidation.

"If (Cutietta) worried about nickel-and-diming us, by cutting smaller ensembles, it seems like he's doing just that," said Charla Dain, an announcer for KUAT and a Collegium member.

Meanwhile, Javier Trujillo, director of Mariachi Arizona, is working on finding ways to keep the program at the university.

"Every member was saddened with the news of the program being eliminated, but they understand the reasons behind the cut," Trujillo said. "All members were looking forward to next year as we had plans to begin traveling to mariachi conferences around the nation to represent the University of Arizona in hopes to attract potential students to the UA School of Music."

Ending the Collegium Musicum program, which uses instruments created and music composed before 1750, was also difficult for the school.

"The reason why this (Collegium Musicum) is really important is because the instruments we use today were created around that time," Cutietta said. "We have the instruments, but we just will not be able to continue this program. You can read about this music, but it isn't the same. It's been a real blow."

Musicology master's degree student Mike Melvin joined Collegium Musicum to gain experience playing instruments he had studied in early music classes.

He said getting the experience some other way would be "almost impossible."

"Musicians playing early music can still have pro careers doing this, rather than playing restaurants," he said.

The Collegium also had members who were not music majors.

"We do it as something we love. It really detracts from our desire to come here," James Callegary, a soil, water and environmental science graduate student said.

Collegium's director, Christina L. Jarvis, received her letter April 7 stating the program had been cut. That was the same day the group performed its last concert of the semester - before a standing-room-only crowd.

"I was extremely disappointed," Jarvis said about receiving the notice. "It's like amputating important parts of the musical body here, depriving students of a part of their musical experience."

And when fine arts budgets are cut, it means the college can afford fewer public performances, which detracts from ticket sales, causing the programs to lose even more money.

"We've lived off our box office. Also, in the arts there are very few grants. So, we're already at kind of a disadvantage because we don't have the resources others do," Cutietta said.

"Are we being singled out? No. Are we being hit harder? Yes. Because the closest thing we have to grants are ticket sales. The less we have superstar students, the less people come to our concerts. It's a vicious circle," he added.

Performing arts have already had to deal with a shortfall from last season's ticket sales. Sept. 11 left many performances near-empty.

"This year our biggest problem was 9/11," stated Albert D. Tucci, director of the School of Theatre Arts, in an e-mail interview. "We were in the prime of season subscription and opening productions. Of course no one was that interested in going out for several weeks. We lost about $20,000 in the fall in ticket sales."

Linda Darling, an associate professor of history and a Collegium vocalist, wondered what effect the cuts of programs and of general education seats would have on students who were not music majors.

"When courses aren't offered, students can't take what they want to take. What if they become teachers or legislators, when a well-rounded education is needed?"

Jarvis, however, said she understands the circumstances that led to the end of her position with the university.

"I don't blame Dr. Cutietta or the administration of the School of Music and Dance in the slightest," Jarvis said. "The responsibility for the budget situation lies squarely with the state Legislature."

Though Cutietta has received complaints from students and faculty, he said past budget decisions are worthy of blame.

"Will the cuts hurt the excellence of the school? Well, we were never funded where we should have been anyway, and that's the most frustrating thing," he said.

"During the good years, we should have gotten money. There's no such thing as more for less. You can do the same amount, but the quality won't be the same. So now, we have to do less with less."