Cactus Cafe gains support

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The Governor's Texas Music Office and the Center for Texas Music History both sent letters to the University of Texas in support of keeping the Cactus Cafe open.

The letter from the Texas Music Office asks UT President Bill Powers to keep the music venue open.  Additionally it suggests that the university consider a compromise if it plans for students to run the venue. 

Friends of the Cactus Cafe, a student organization, learned about the letter on Monday.  The letter was dated March 10. 

Enlisting students to run the venue was one of three plans proposed in early April by the University. 

Casey Monahan, Director of the Texas Music Office, suggests that current management handle programming Thursday-Saturday and students oversee programming Sunday-Wednesday.

The Center for Texas Music History, a department at Texas State University dedicated to the history of Texas music, sent a letter April 27 to the Texas Union Board of Directors urging them to keep Cactus Cafe as a live music venue. 

The letter suggests that the venue is historically significant. 

The university announced in January a plan to close the venue as part of a university-wide cost-cutting measure.