Music Lab awaiting Title III clearance

 
Music majors at Southern University have not been able to gain access to the newly implemented music technology laboratories in Tourgee DeBose Hall.
Before Carnell Knighten passed away, he had written and asked for permission to be granted federal money to enhance the music department.
According to Charles Lloyd, chair of the department of music, over $200,000 was put into purchasing equipment for the music technology lab.
Students are not satisfied waiting to be granted access to the lab, that they consider essential to their studies.
Michael Brooks, a senior music major from Chicago said, “The technology lab would have been useful for the music majors.  I believe it’s useful in today’s society.  Everything is run off computers. No schools have technology labs, where they have it set up to create music, just for the purpose of the benefit.”
Brooks said with the technology labs being closed, he does not like it at all.  
“I feel it’s more politics than helping the students.  Mr. Knighten told us when he got the grant for the lab.  Its main purpose was for the students.  Ever since his passing, I don’t know the whole logistics or anything.  I heard that papers had to be signed because I think the money was not from the school but it came from grants.”
Brooks said that he is currently in a band arranging class and it would be a big help if he were to get in the music lab. 
“I’m in a band arranging class and we don’t have access to the lab, where we needed the technology ever since school started.  School is about to go on its fifth week and we still haven’t gotten in,” Brooks said.
According to Nathaniel Haymer, assistant band director, “By the music lab not being opened, it is hurting the students.  It’s a tie up in Title III.”
Haymer said that Knighten had gotten the creation of the music lab together before he passed.  With him passing, it was then a matter of designating the responsibility and who would assume it.
“It was just a matter of getting that ironed out with Title III,” Haymer said.
Haymer reportedly had spoken with the chairperson of music, Lloyd as of Monday.  “Hopefully, we’ll have it ready for the next class period by next week.  Hopefully, it would be resolved soon,” Haymer said.
Jelani Brown, a sophomore, music major from Detroit said, “Being that I’m a sophomore, I can’t really say that it’s hurting me because I didn’t expect to work with technology.  I just thought textbooks and pianos were all I really needed.  I feel that since we do have them, that it would be great to expand within the department, with the technology we do have, since it’s here.”
Brown said that he doesn’t think that students are missing out on anything with the delay of the labs because the lab won’t allow students to gain any more on paper with the technology.
Kyron Davis, a senior, music major from Baton Rouge said, “I never really thought about it.  All I know it may hurt those under me.  For me, personally, it’s not really hurting me because I’m about to be out in the summer.
Davis said, “At the same time, it won’t hurt me, specifically, but it might hurt another student like the undergrads.”
Brown mentioned with the expansion there would be a consistent need of faculty and classes along with the technology expansion.
“If they had more classes, then we’ll need more professors and more people to teach things,” said Brown.
“The lab was received last year, in 2011, through a Title III grant,” said Lloyd.  The grant was granted to Carnell Knighten.  The lab was opened under his direction until he passed in February of this year.”
Lloyd said when Knighten passed the lab was shut down.  At the time of Knighten’s death, the lab was in the process to be opened by the time that school started this fall.
“It’s been delayed because of responsibility factors for who would be responsible,” Lloyd said. 
Another problem with the lab is the department needs to hire someone with a Ph.D. to take over the lab, Lloyd said. 
“That person should be hired to be official to take over that lab, to take responsibility because they will know what they’re doing,” Lloyd said.  “Now that’s what needs to happen and there would be no more problems with that lab.”
Lloyd said that he would sign the authorization to the lab and he would take full responsibility of whatever is or would be taken from the lab.  “If anything was to get stolen, it would be all on me,” Lloyd said.
According to Lloyd when the lab was inventoried, equipment was reportedly missing and it has not been found.
“Technology is always being renewed and some of the stuff we have is already outdated and we need to have more civil action from someone who knows what they are doing to do inventory and keep us more updated,” Lloyd said.  “I’m going to go over there to Mr. Chavis and sign so that the lab could be opened by Wednesday.”
Haymer said with the lab having some of the latest equipment, it would help students.  He said students are into commercial music, studio music, making beats and working in the studio.
According to Kim Chavis, director of Title III, Knighten had come and got a grant to come and build the lab.
Chavis did state that the door to the lab is locked until someone in the music department comes and takes responsibility for the lab.
According to Chavis the equipment in the lab was purchased with federal dollars.
“If they want to come here and see their stuff, then we have to show it to them,” Chavis said.