The debate over recent cuts to the music program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in 91原创 is heating up, with critics claiming admission were canceled because of a pricey decision to open a fifth campus in Surrey, while the university defends the move.

Last year KPU announced it purchased five floors in the new Civic Hotel, located at 13475 Central Ave., and said the campus will have capacity for 300 to 400 students.

Don Hlus, director of guitar at KPU, said the move 鈥渨asn鈥檛 just a bad decision, it was an ugly one.鈥�

鈥淭he proposed cuts are simply a smoke-screen to divert our attention away from the fact that we didn鈥檛 have the money expand to a fifth campus.鈥�

Hlus warned the decision to cancel music program admissions 鈥渨ill essentially kill the program.鈥�

鈥淥nce the news gets out into the marketplace that we have ceased accepting applications for entry into the music program, we are essentially done,鈥� Hlus said.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe we will be able to recover from this nose dive.鈥�

Hlus added that during his tenure as chair of the music department, from 2012 to 2018, it operated 鈥渨ithin the budget given us.鈥�

In response to a request for comment by the 91原创 Times Advance, the university issued a written statement by Dr. Sal Ferreras, KPU鈥檚 provost and vice president, who defended the decision to expand into Surrey and predicting the university will have a balanced budget by 2020.

鈥淜PU is set to deliver a balanced budget of $225 million next year,鈥� the statement said.

Ferreras went to say capital funds, such as those used to purchase Civic Plaza, cannot be used to fund academic programs.

鈥淲ith the university previously operating close to capacity, Civic Plaza is a new outlet available for strategic growth.鈥�

READ MORE: Music students at Kwantlen Polytechnic University battle cuts

After letter writer Natalia Kondratayeva complained the administration at KPU was building a new campus at the expense of the music program and warned the decision to eliminate first year admissions would 鈥渒ill鈥� the music program, KPU Dean of Arts Diane Purvey issued a written response that said the music program was 鈥渦nsustainable.鈥�

鈥淜PU is not closing the program and, in fact, is trying to save it,鈥� Purvey said.

鈥淭he university runs it at a loss and any growth in the program only adds to that loss.鈥�

Purvey said the program costs exceed revenue by a ratio greater of two-to-one and the music program costs 鈥渘early five times more than the average KPU program to run.鈥�

鈥淎ccordingly, our music offerings need to be revisioned as part of the university鈥檚 broader fiscal plan,鈥� Purvey said.

鈥淭o conduct a revisioning process without disrupting the academic path of students already in a program, it was necessary for KPU to cancel the 2019-20 academic year intake. 鈥�

Purvey said that decision 鈥渃reated space鈥� to make changes that would 鈥渄eliver music in a way that supports students into a career.鈥�

KPU has two other campuses in Surrey (in Newton at 12666 72nd Ave. and in Cloverdale at 5500 180th St.) as well as a campus in Richmond at 8771 Lansdowne Rd., and another in 91原创 at 20901 91原创 Bypass.