Cactus Resolve

Last night, the Student Government at UT Austin became the latest body to tell the administration that, no, students are not backing their attempts to close the Cactus Cafe and, yes, they do have a good plan for keeping it open.

"It was very exciting," said Hayley Gillespie of Student Friends of the Cactus Cafe. "Our organization is obviously quite pleased that the undergraduate governing body unanimously passed AR 41 last night."

This resolution makes Student Government the third major student representational organization – after the Graduate Student Assembly and the presidents of the eighteen college councils – to take a formal stand opposing the closure. With the trifecta complete, Gillespie said, "The administration has no foot to stand on it terms of saying, 'Here's this group of students who want the Cactus to change or be re-purposed in some major way.'"

The resolution was supposed to be discussed in late February but got delayed: First for bad weather, then for a lack of a quorate meeting then, Gillespie said, "Last week, somebody wanted to make the wording a little bit stronger." When it came back, Gillespie said, "There was very little debate, and it was all about one word in one amendment. Then it passed without any debate at all on the substance."

What passed was pretty strong stuff. The full resolution is printed below, but here are the highlights:

– Calls for the Texas Union board to reconsider their closure decision
– Backs keeping the cafe where it is and maintaining the current staff rather than handing it over without discussion to the Student Events Center.
– Proposes internship and student artist-in-residents programs, as well as investigating establishing an endowment
– Notes lack of student consultation in the prior discussions.

Many of the suggested developments, such as the Student Initiatives proposal, come straight from the Student Friends' plan for the cafe. However, the final decision remains with the Texas Union Board executive, which seems to revolved not around students but Executive Director Andy Smith, Vice-President for Student Affairs Juan Gonzalez, and Dean of Students Soncia Reagins-Lilly.

That's frustrating for Gillespie, who has been part of the "meetings or conversations or whatever the administration is calling them" with the executive about the cafe. Her concern is making the case for keeping the cafe as it is but with additional student involvement and opportunities. However, getting a straight answer about even the time line for a decision is almost impossible. At the last board meeting, Gillespie said, "I specifically asked the board, 'What do you see happening on April 30? Are they going to come back to you with a specific recommendation or are they going to come back with a decision that they ask you to approve? You asked them to review these proposals, but did you tell them what kind of deliverable are they producing for you?' Nobody knew what was going on."

On the positive side, there's a new discussion of management style at UT. "The Cactus issue has opened a huge can of worms," Gillespie said. "It's made even student leaders more aware of what the student body wants, rather than just saying, 'You elected me, now I can do whatever I want.'"

Full resolution below:

WHEREAS, The University Unions management plans to modify or eliminate the Cactus Cafe, and is seeking proposals for its future management; and,

WHEREAS, The Graduate Student Assembly at The University of Texas at Austin has already unanimously passed a resolution in support of preserving the character of the Cactus Cafe1; furthermore, the presidents of the eighteen college councils issued a letter conveying a unanimous opinion that the student body was not sufficiently consulted in the discussion and decision making process; and,

WHEREAS, The Student Events Center has put forward a proposal which does not specifically include graduate students in the decision-making process regarding the future of Cactus Cafe, and would place the Cactus Cafe primarily under student management;2 therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED, That the Student Government of The University of Texas at Austin concurs with the Graduate Student Assembly on the issue of graduate student representation, and is concerned that the Students Event Center proposal, if implemented, may negatively affect the character of the Cactus Cafe; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That Student Government supports the establishment of a Cactus Cafe Student Initiatives Program, supporting student internships based out of the Cactus Cafe, as proposed by the Student Friends of the Cactus Cafe; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That Student Government supports the establishment of a Cactus Cafe Student Artists-in-Residence Program, as proposed by the Student Friends of the Cactus Cafe; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That Student Government supports, if necessary, the creation of an endowment to fund or help fund the Cactus Cafe, in conjunction with or independently of the non-profit (501(c)(3)) organization Friends of the Cactus Cafe; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That Student Government believes experienced, full-time, professional management of the Cactus Cafe is fundamental to its character, and that daily cafe and bar operations are a key part of preserving the character of the Cactus Cafe and maintaining the quality of booking; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That Student Government believes that the Cactus Cafe is a staple of Texas musical heritage which provides the University with a powerful means for community engagement and an iconic brand that is recognized by numerous musicians and music fans around the world; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That Student Government believes that the University Unions management did not seek sufficient student input before announcing this decision, which significantly impacts the student body; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That Student Government calls upon the University Unions management and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs to revisit the decision to close and/or repurpose the Cactus Cafe; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That Student Government calls upon the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs to make a genuine effort to obtain the opinion of the student body in regards to the future of the Cactus Cafe; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be sent to the Office of the President, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Office of the Dean of Students, the President of the Graduate Student Assembly, the President of the Senate of College Councils, the members of the University Unions Board of Directors, the President of the Student Events Center, Friends of the Cactus Cafe, and Student Friends of the Cactus Cafe.