Can it be made clear what we can expect next summer, what will definitely stay the same, what is likely to change, and what power do we have as a group to effect changes within the program? What can we do to help the program, ourselves, and Erin? Our success as students, artists, and professionals is in everyone’s best interest.
Must Haves to be successful in this program:
- · 24 Access to all facilities (including weekends)
- · Plenty of artist lectures (but not mandatory, or at least not mandatory outside of our primary discipline)
- · Teacher Assistantships – Everyone should have the opportunity to be a TA if they are considering teaching after graduation.
- · Writing lab provided during the summer where we can sign up for individual help with our papers.
- · Photography students need to have the same access to color copiers and the labs as students do during the regular year.
- · Grading – If there is any possibility of getting less than an A in a course, we should be notified early and told exactly what that teacher needs to see from us, so that we don’t get less than A.
Support for out of towners:
- · Dates for crits and shows provided early and not changed.
- · Try to plan these events when flights are traditionally cheaper to Philadelphia (not during holidays, army/navy game, etc…)
- · Can the university provide housing during winter and spring crits?
- · How much do mentors get paid? And could the out of Towner’s mentors possibly be given more so they have more incentive?
I’d like to see:
Continued relationship with the West Collection
Reading List:
The program should provide a recommended reading list. What are they reading at Yale, Columbia, Tyler, etc…? What should we have read at this level to intelligently converse with our peers around the country? Include blogs and periodicals.
1st year reading list -
2nd year reading list -
3rd/post thesis reading list –
Mentor List
Provide a binder that lists possible mentors and an example of their work. Having a good mentor is crucial for success in the low-res program and this should be stressed at the very beginning that this is something we should be thinking about from the start.
Anyone have any suggestions for more constructive group crits?
Public Speaking
Can we have the woman from last year back and maybe for more than just at the beginning.
Michelle Kishita tried to provide some writing labs this summer. Unfortunately, there was at least one scheduled during one of the visiting artist lectures. If she could be talked into trying it again (but without the double-booking), that could be very helpful.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the grades thing, even something like a note of individual feedback would be very helpful. It's humiliating to go to your profs and ask how you messed up. (I'm still working up to that one.) They gave plenty of good suggestions during the final crits, but I think that feedback was probably focused more on the WIP works on display than the student's work as graded overall.
Joe - a good list.
ReplyDeletePlease add the following:
- granting library checkout privaleges to remote students
- striving for recruiting cross disciplinary students
I'd like to see more open access to facilities for locals during the fall and spring.
ReplyDeleteI also really feel like the ability to go abroad (like the Dubai trip) is something that we should fight for. I know you touched on it, but TA positions really need to be figured out and improved, as they apparently won't be available to us next semester.
ReplyDeleteJoe, I agree with everything on the list. The program is only going to be as strong as we demand it to be. I think that email from admin saying its Joe G's fault that TA's were not lined up for next semester is a bunch of bull. They knew that Joe was fighting for TA's for us, but they were fighting it. If it was important to UArts to provide that opportunity for us, they could have made it happen.
ReplyDelete