MIA CIECHALSKI
Special to The Leader
Professor Sam Kenney was just recently promoted as the new dance area coordinator for SUNY Fredonia’s dance department on Friday, Aug. 25.
A new change has been put in place not just for the faculty, but also for the students at SUNY Fredonia.
On Sunday, Aug. 27 , anyone who is involved in the Theatre and Dance Department got an email from the head chair of these departments, stating that “our original head of the dance department, Professor Paula Peters, has decided to resign.”
This then led to the news of finding out that Professor Sam Kenney will now be the new head of the dance department, and the Dance Area Coordinator.
Kenney said that she has served as chair of the Theatre and Dance Department in the past, and didn’t think she would take on another administrative role.
“When I was offered the position I was very grateful, especially with everything that has been happening in the department recently with the old chair leaving,” Kenney said. “I was ready to make many changes immediately once the school year officially started.” `
“I actually had a feeling that this might’ve happened, so I started making contingency plans last March,” she said. “Once I found out on Friday, I was ready to bring it!”
Kenney said she couldn’t give us many spoilers for what she has to offer for the new dance year because she still has many things to discuss with the other dance faculty members.
However, one change that she has already made is opening performances to everyone on campus and not just leaving them for the dance majors only.
Kenney thinks this new change “is a positive change for the dance program and for the whole performing arts department.”
She has also brought on SUNY Fredonia alum Brianna Kelly to join their faculty, and to get her point of view with the department.
Kenney mainly looks forward to “making the dance majors feel that they are in a safe environment, are comfortable, and supported by their faculty.”
Senior dance major Michael Aini explained that he “wasn’t really surprised because at the end of last year there was so much drama with certain projects, with Peters leaving randomly for a certain amount of time out of nowhere, and now she did it again.”
Since this change was very sudden and many factors were left in the air, Aini explained that he was not nervous about graduating on time, but was nervous about senior projects, which is a main factor in helping them graduate.
“We weren’t given advisors, things to allow us to succeed for senior projects, the tools that we needed, or any mentors that we needed,” he explained.
Aini said, “he doesn’t dislike any of the new changes, and thinks everything is going in a much more positive direction.”
He explained that he is now at a point where he feels happy to be here.
“Before I didn’t feel happy with Peters being here, or with any of the toxicity that was happening within the department,” he said.