By Mary Dondiego
While some students are concerned with what direction to take after graduation, the interior design students at BYU are worried they might not be able to graduate.
The interior design program was cancelled Friday, Feb. 17, after Dean K. Newell Dayley met with faculty, said Mark Johnson, chair of the program.
The decision is forcing design students back to the academic drawing board.
The reason for canceling the program is the reallocation of resources, Johnson said.
'The official notice is that there is a limited amount of resources, and in order to strengthen photography, illustration and graphic design, those resources had to be pulled from somewhere,' said Peggy Honey, assistant professor of interior design.
The interior design program, which is part of the Department of Visual Arts, will not be available to any new applicants.
Students currently enrolled must complete the program by August 2002. Because of this, some students are concerned about their graduation options.
Kathryn Pletsch, 22, a senior from Provo, Utah, majoring in interior design, is worried about the alternatives for her classmates.
'I have been so beside myself. It affects a lot of my close associates,' she said.
The department is trying to find a way for the design students to graduate, Honey said.
'We feel a strong obligation to freshmen and sophomores to help get them through. We''re in the process of putting together a plan to present to administration,' she said.
According to the Department of Visual Arts, there are approximately 20 interior design graduates each year.
However, this small number is not a major factor in the cancellation, although it could play a part, Johnson said.
Despite the small numbers, the program is successful.
'It''s a very popular program and our graduates do very well,' Honey said.
One option the students have considered is to continue their studies at BYU-Idaho. Pletsch said she is not in favor of the BYU-Idaho alternative.
'We came to BYU because we wanted to come to BYU,' Pletsch said. 'We found our niche here in interior design and now they are taking it away.'
The BYU-Idaho program focuses on residential design while the BYU program focuses on commercial design, Pletsch said.
Until now, most of BYU-Idaho''s interior design students have been transferring to BYU -- now the trend will reverse, she said.
While Pletsch won''t be directly affected by the decision, many of her fellow students will.
'A lot of girls in the program are on missions and they will have nothing to come back to,' she said.
Overall, students and alumni have been melancholy toward the program closing.
Honey said she has received calls from alumni who are disappointed the program is being cancelled.
'It''s a shock to just about everyone,' she said.