An assortment of unpleasant emotions are brewing among many students in the art department since they found out about the recent $3 million endowment from SF State alumni George and Judy Marcus to fund the new International Art Center that’s scheduled to open the first week of March.

"Private endowments to this campus are most typically given for specified purposes. Only rarely are they given in a way that full spending discretion is left entirely up to the receiving agency,” said Jim Davis, associate dean in the College of Creative Arts.

The recent endowment has sparked a number of complaints from students who feel $3 million could have gone to better use than a new International Center. Student complaints range from there only being a limited amount of classes offered that are required for their major to there being inadequate space within the Fine Arts building to display installation art pieces.

Sculpting major Heather Ciriza said she is at odds with the art department due to derisory studio space. Often Ciriza said she found herself going to other departments around the campus to use their vacant space to display her work. A little extra money to fix and clear abandoned spaces, like on the fifth floor of the Fine Arts building where Ciriza claims there’s plenty of extra space, would help her and other students out tremendously.

"I was surprised to hear that some students were upset about the International Center of Arts. The Center is a good thing, meant to enhance the educational experience of our students," said Ariane Bicho, the director of public relations for the College of Creative Arts.

Joseph Rhen, a conceptual information art major, has a slightly different view. Rhen said he really doesn’t have a problem with a new Center, but he wishes that there was money to help out areas that were lacking within his major.

Rhen said he felt restricted with the emphasis and is forced to exclude certain courses either because they are not offered, or because he can not add the class due to only one section being offered per semester.

Even though the art department may be a little tight on funds and unable to provide every single request made by students, the $3-million disbursement was totally out of the faculty’s hands.

“The George and Judy Marcus endowment to the College of Creative Arts came with specified purposes,” said Davis. “While it might be that some students would prefer that such gifts be used for purposes other than what the donor specifies, we still must honor the request that the donor specifies for the use of the funds.”

George Marcus said he wanted SF State to have an International Center because he loves beautiful art, and wanted things to be beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. Beyond that he said he wanted SF State to become a distinguished school of the arts.

Davis also said the Center was being started to serve as the vehicle for applying the funds in the manner requested by the Marcus’s, which is to fund three successive years of major international arts festivals and events in the areas of film, visual art and music.

This year's events focus on art works from Cuba, including a major art exhibition in the SF State Art Department Gallery, and musical contributions from Cuban bass player and mambo innovator “Cachao,” along with the screening of some Cuban films.

“These events have been carefully planned over a long period, and are entirely consistent with the endowment donors' requests, as they legally must, and will provide a highly insightful and stimulating look into the arts of Cuba for our students at SF State,” said Davis.

Many art department faculty members seem to agree that the department is lacking funding in some areas, but some also feel a new art center may prove to be more beneficial than burdensome.

“The other question that students need to consider concerns the extent to which raising the university's public profile in the arts or any other area, contributes directly to our ability to attract funds for curriculum development, student programs, etc,” said art history professor Whitney Chadwick.