In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, many institutions have decided to close theirs doors to help slow the massive spread of this dangerous virus. Among these institutions is the Massachusetts College of Art and Design ( Massart)- the school I pay thousands of dollars to attend. Though I deeply respect that this must have been a difficult decision for the school to make and it comes from a desire to protect it’s students, more has to be done in reparations as we transition to online classes. All on campus residents halls have been vacated besides international students. Not only does online instruction leave those of us in different time zones, those of us with limited/no access to the internet, and those of us without expensive computers high and dry- but every single one of us who has poured their money *specifically* into having access to studio spaces and inaccessible materials (for ex.- giant slabs of limestone for lithography) is now expected to pay the same amount of money for a ‘hands off’ studio education. I can’t get to my oil paints that I spent hundreds of dollars on nor do I have a space with proper ventilation to paint in. How am I meant to practice lithography through a screen? What are ceramicists meant to do? Print makers? Jewelry makers? Glass blowers? Sculptures? Fashion designers?- Every single student at Massart, regardless of their major- is paying to have face to face instruction. Something that is so tangible and valuable it cannot be replaced through a screen. Luckily, we work in the creative field and can come up with creative solutions, so as students we will do our best to work with our professors to make the most out of what we now have. But what we now have is no longer worth the amount of money we paid for. The least President Nelson can do is work with the people around him to reimburse Massart students for what we paid to attend starting from March 16th through the end of the semester. I cannot stress enough that as art students we cannot make the same transition most other students are making right now. This pandemic has left ~2,000 students dorm-less, jobless, moneyless and education-less. If you’re a student, parent, professor, administrator, artist or anyone that sees how our education is being taken away from us, help us demand reimbursement and sign.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me: tagilardi@massart.edu