Remember how the Texas Union announced this spring that it was abruptly shutting down informal classes to save money? It pissed off a lot of people and didn't do much to improve the University's image in the Austin community.

Well, the Butler School of Music has just announced it is launching informal music classes beginning this fall. Encore!

Director Glenn Chandler said Friday the school had been planning to offer non-credit classes for adults. Once the Union nixed its informal classes, the Butler School decided to step in.

"It fits with our long-range plans to extend non-credit offerings to the community and create financial aid opportunities for our graduate students," Chandler said.

Seven classes will be offered at first, all beginner level, for adults 18 and over who want to learn to read music, sing, or play guitar or piano.

The classes will be taught by Butler School graduate students under faculty supervision, an opportunity for them to both make money and get pedagogical training.

"We are all about finding ways to help our graduate students afford their education," Chandler said. "If we can do that, we can attract the very best students."

Chandler said the school will offer intermediate and advanced level classes as interest grows.

Classes start at $100, and will include access to some Butler School performances. Visit the school's website for details on enrolling.

The storied Cactus Cafe could be finding a new home on the University of Texas campus -- the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center.

Texas Exes CEO and executive director Jim Boon spoke with UT president Bill Powers Tuesday about the idea of incorporating the Cactus Cafe into a planned building expansion set for 2011.

University officials announced over the weekend that the Texas Union would be closing the Cactus Cafe in August due to budget cuts. Informal Classes, too, are set to end.

"We understand the financial pressure the University is under and recognize that it needs to be focused on delivering services to students," Boon said. "As keepers of the history and traditions of the University, we are always sensitive to experiences that touch students' lives and create memories for alumni."

President Powers is scheduled to hold a town hall meeting Tuesday on campus to discuss the proposed budget cuts, including the fate of the Cactus Cafe.

Reaction to the news of the Cactus' impending closure has been overwhelmingly negative, particularly from alumni. A Facebook group started over the weekend Save the Cactus Cafe currently has more than 13,600 members. University officials have defended the cuts as necessary.

The plan to move the Cactus Cafe to the alumni center would not involve helping Informal Classes.

If adopted, and there were no legal obstacles, the Cactus Cafe would keep its name. The alumni center has its own liquor license and could serve alcohol at performances.

The move could be completed and performances resumed as early as fall 2011.

As music makers and lovers celebrated successes at the Grammys this weekend, Austin's music community was heartbroken after the Austin-American Statesman reported the Texas Union's Cactus Cafe will close in August.

The Union announced on its website Friday that "to reduce costs and repurpose resources to better serve student needs," its board of directors (largely made up of students) had given its support to closing the Cactus Cafe and canceling Informal Classes. 

Since the Cactus Cafe opened in 1979, it has hosted and boosted the careers of musicians like Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, the Dixie Chicks, and the late, great Townes Van Zandt, who played there more than 100 times.

Eight years earlier, in 1971, the Union's Informal Classes were introduced, offering courses to students, faculty, and the Austin community for a nominal fee. Classes focused on education, hobbies, fitness, personal growth, and professional development. UT officials told the Statesman about 10,000 people enrolled in informal classes last year.

Texas Union executive director Andy Smith said in a statement that most of the patrons of the Cactus Cafe and Informal Classes were not UT students.

"Athough popular with some audiences," Smith said, "these programs are no longer profitable and do not fit within the core mission of the Texas Union and Student Affairs."

Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and Speaker of the House Joe Straus recently called for state agencies to submit budget reduction plans by Feb. 15. UT has been examining several ways to reduce the state-funded portion of its budget by 5 percent, or $29 million. 

The Tuition Policy Advisory Committee suggested in January raising tuition for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years by 3.95 percent.

Both Informal Classes and the Cactus Cafe were previously self-sustaining but hadn't been in years, according to the Union's announcement.

Smith estimates shutting down the programs will save the Union about $122,000 a year.

The Austin community is largely unsatisfied with these reasons for shutting down the Cactus Cafe. Fans of the venue quickly spread the news on Twitter over the weekend and continued to sound off on it Monday morning. Three facebook groups were created dedicated to the cause. The largest, Save the Cactus Cafe (Austin, Texas), had 7,300 members by 10 a.m. Monday. 

President Powers is holding a town hall meeting Tuesday afternoon to discuss the University's overall budget cuts and reallocations, and many Cactus fans tweeted that they planned to attend.

The meeting will be from 4-6 in an auditorium in the ACES building, room 2.302. It is open to the public.