(Drafted by: Avery Williams, Jae Ha Park, SAIChumans) 

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1. Premise

On March 12, 2020, the SAIC community received an email from President Tenny and Provost Berger announcing the extension of spring break and the prospect of online teaching practices for the remainder of the current semester beginning April 6, 2020 as a reaction to the COVID-19 outbreak. Like many other higher education institutions, SAIC has taken the appropriate measures to protect its students, staff, and community at large in light of the threat of the pandemic. We acknowledge these protective measures as appropriate in compliance with the recommendations of the CDC and the CPHD. The student body fully understands and appreciates the care and thoughtfulness SAIC has taken in protecting its community during the outbreak. 

However, we are heavily concerned with the challenges, missed opportunities, and poor communication in that attempt to protect the SAIC community and thus we are corresponding with you as the spring break has passed, and the passing emails students have received have not adequately addressed their apprehension towards the second half of the semester.

Taking inspiration from the “RISD Petition for the Partial Return of Tuition and Fees” Drafted by Alexis Caruso, Minji Koo, Sara Park, and Fia Tharp, the SAIC student body would like to follow by their example and express similar sentiments and concerns created by the institution's response to the viral outbreak. 

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2. The Problem

Although we support the ultimate decisions SAIC has made in extending spring break and shifting to online teaching practices, we are concerned about the quality of education and support to its students, faculty, and staff given the value of the resources from the museum and surrounding SAIC buildings that are used intrinsically to classroom instruction. Due to the closing of our campus, vital resources, the creative process, the ability to produce work, and the accessibility to a tangible learning environment has been downgraded.  

Most students have returned to their homes in quarantine, so getting a quality education at the level we have become accustomed to is now impossible. This conundrum has left many of us with numerous questions and mixed emotions. We feel that the administration has not given us the proper communication as to how we will move forward and how they will resolve the lingering issues in the wake of the transition to online learning.

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3. How Online Instruction Affects the Student Body

Resources We Will No Longer have Access to:

1. Major studio resources lost: 
Ceramics: clay, wheels, kilns, glaze rooms, plaster studio. 

Fibers/Fashion: sewing lab, dye lab, digital patterning lab, printing facilities, looms, fur machines, model fittings, heat transfer press, felt-making equipment, runaways, photoshoots, dress forms, finishing machines. 

Sculpture, AIADO: woodshops, metal shops, Advanced Output Center (laser cutters, 3d printers), CNC machine. 

Painting and Drawing: ventilation for the safe use of materials, spray booths, technique lab, painting and drawing materials, live models, space to engage with and storage large works.  

Printmaking: Vandercook press, Risograph, Lithograph, Offset, Etching Press, letterpress, acid barns.

Photo: photo lab, cameras, photo studios, bookmaking studio. 

VISCOMM: font database, computer labs, location specific learning environments (Garfield Park Conservatory, Field Museum of Natural History, Lincoln Park Zoo).

Film, Video, New-media, Animation, Audio: Media Centers, 16mm film equipment, Gene Siskel Filming Center, Digital Music Lab (keyboards, samplers, analog and digital synthesizers), 4K digital cameras, 8 shooting studios, a sound mixing suite, Maclean Digital Authoring labs, Whisper Room (12 channel mixing board, professional microphones, pop filters), video dubbing stations, The Black Box. 

Art and Technology: bio art lab, kinetics lab, electronics lab, surface mount lab, light lab, retro lab, VR equipment, Kinectron and other sensors, Twine and Unity Game Creation 3D, motion capture suits. 

Universal to all studio majors: installation opportunities, spaces for practice and storage.

2. Non-studio resources: SAIC Library, Gene Siskel Center, Service Bureau, Museum Access, Visual Critical Studies Symposium

2. Internships and Chicagoland jobs discontinued due to loss of housing.

3. No graduate thesis' that require in-campus work.

4. No school programming such as visiting artist talks, Roger Brown Study Collection visits, Conversation at the Edge, art sale, Site Galleries Exhibitions, and field trips. These make up a substantial part of our tuition and curriculum as practicing artists.

5. No in-person critiques: the most important evaluation tool students looked forward to when choosing to attend SAIC. Online discussions, videos, audio, and pictures of artwork will limit the way we make work and will be perceived by our peers.

6. No in-person thesis and end-of-year events (ArtBash, Design Show, Fashion Show, Film, Video, New Media, Animation, and Sound Festival, IMPACT Performance Festival, MA in Visual and Critical Studies Exhibition at Co-Prosperity Sphere, MakeWork Showcase, MFA Thesis Exhibition, Senior Expo Exhibition, All BFAW, MFAW, BA, MA, and MS readings and symposia). In the 03/20/2020 email Provost Berger sent to students, he mentioned that these events were in considerable planning. We appreciate that they have not been cancelled, but remain firm on the fact that the quality of showcase will not reach the level that human interaction strictly provides. This goes especially for the conceptual artwork that SAIC encourages, as sincere experience, meaning, and interpretation of artwork will be damaged. The hosting of these events via streaming shoves layers of detachment to the work, the artist, and the viewer.

Issues/Concerns Created Due to the Transfer to Online Instruction

1. Standard Time Zone differences for the global student body at large.
What is the expectation for students to attend their classes online?  Will teachers require them to log in at a certain time with the rest of the class based on the location of the teacher?

2. Not having accessible wifi (slow speeds, no access, and the necessity of having to use a vpn), computers, or software to keep up with instruction. Students reported in the survey that not all staff reached out to them ahead of the break's end about this basic accommodation let alone other materials, which we believe should have been a primary concern before course syllabi were being replanned. One of the main reasons that students chose this institution was because of the inclusivity that was being preached in assurance to students. The message that we feel subjected to at the moment is that SAIC inclusivity does not encompass the low-income, the disenfranchised, and the disabled (those who struggle with online learning).

3. Not having safe spaces or spaces that allow for artistic freedom at home due to housing restrictions and intrusive homebodies. For some students, going back home means going back into an abusive situation, which can hinder basic activity, let alone creativity. Communication was extremely poor in regards to the eviction of students, both in timing, and in the change of rhetoric with telling students they had housing resources and to reconsider personal travel. Within four days, an eviction notice was released, and only 6 days was given for students to apply for "extenuating circumstances" in order to stay without specifying what qualified.

This not only caused a mass student panic as flights were being extremely limited at the time (2-3 per week per many airlines), it also astronomically maximized their risk of exposure to the virus as news of exodus and overpacked airports nationwide was prominent. Students' finances also took a damage when booking immediate flights. The student body not only felt like a liability to the school from this unorganized string of announcements, but liabilities to their families at home as their exposure could impact their loved ones and induce collateral damage, especially in virus-compromised environments.

4. No access to studios, gallery spaces, and materials provided by the school that would aid in the production of art pieces. The major reason many students come to SAIC is its incredible studio spaces and resources that can only be found in a large metropolitan city like Chicago. Courses are tethered to the physical equipment and machinery on-site. If we no longer have entrance to these sites, then how are we to rise to the expectation put on us as artists while simultaneously being charged for our removed right to access.

Our tuition covers expensive art equipment needed to produce our work. If we no longer have these essential tools at hand, then how could we be charged the same tuition rate for that access? 

5. Concerns about graduation and other important dates being pushed back. Some students cannot envision an online modicum of learning, as much of our learning is hands-on. Live model based art and outdoor presence required art in painting/drawing and photography also becomes ingenuine in the learning process because students in all countries are advised to shelter in place. Some are wondering if there are alternative ways to take these classes at a later date in a physical setting without being financially penalized for it.

6. Uncertainty on whether or not summer classes can even take place. 

7. When grading, teachers should remember to consider that students could be returning to unwelcome environments with limited resources and cannot be held to the same criteria as before, i.e. lowered productivity, creativity, and lack of internet connection limits their ability to produce.  Assignments should be given more time as resources are limited with widespread store closure.

8. Concerns about teachers becoming less engaging as a result of lowered standards for artwork.

9. How do we resolve the gap of not being qualified for advanced level courses due to hindrances in teaching pre-req classes?

10. There are endless concerns from international students with their potential reentry becoming limited. International affairs needs to have open communication with them and stay informed about their VISA status.

11. SAIC protocol and administration’s response speed was slow and dangerously unorganized. Much of the institution's response to the virus appeared delayed and reactive instead of proactive to months of cautionary global expression.

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3. Student Testimonials from the Survey

STUDIO LOSS

“I’m taking fiber class and scientific illustration where we need to use many fiber dying materials in order to make our work. Scientific illustration class we meet outside of class to do our work which we really need to make a lot of art work with instructions from faculties. Online means we do not have the opportunity to have class or even learn any of these skills anymore.” - Elaine F.

"Can’t fulfill requirements for entering advanced classes because of unlearned manual skills and technicals only taught through using the studio. For example: trying to go into advanced ceramics while only having one month of hands on experience and not having known multiple throwing/glaze method. Watching videos does not equate to making." - Francisco S.

"Printmaking intro: This is my first exposure to the field and I have no idea how my teacher will move ANYTHING online as all of our process is on campus. I can forsee her having us gather in the last 2 weeks of school to get everything we have drafted done if things clear up by then, but even with that method our education would be squashed, with learning becoming less incentivized than getting a checklist marked." - Jackie P.

SAIC LACK OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE

"There's no information about student insurance coverage about the Coronavirus on the SAIC website...I was very very disappointed, because I know in a crisis like this, the school’s been very unprofessional and apathetic to students’ situations." - Yingjia L.

LIVING SITUATION

"My living situation is not a good one and so I’m slapped in the face with all the things that trigger my PTSD and make me almost non functional..... NEVER take away the homes of your students. Just because there’s technically a place we came from doesn’t mean there’s a place to go back to." - Ashley M.

"I have no access to internet. I’m in the middle of nowhere in my small room where I won’t be able to fit my sewing machine or any materials for my studio classes. I can’t rely on data because there is no service when you live somewhere that’s destitute of power." - Juleda A.

"I am taking Biolab this semester and since practice should be done at the lab and now I have no access to the lab... basically my class was all finished last Friday, I paid for the materials in the lab, the equipment in the lab, and I also have my graduate program’s thesis based on biology. I cannot do anything at home with bacteria or fungi, they would be biohazards to me and the environment." - Ziyu Z.

OPPORTUNITY LOSS

"For my programming Arts Administration, it diminishes the opportunity of networking." - Zoe M.

DISABILITY

"I also have hearing loss, and communicating online will be really tough for me." - Qianyue L.

"I struggle with migraines and have accommodations specifically so that I don’t have to stare at a computer screen. I’m not sure how much time I’ll be able to be present for these classes if I’m sick from a migraine." - Lizzie G.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

"For starters, they should have just accommodated the international students rather than “asking them to leave in 5 days”. And giving us a day to pack to move to another hall!! They had WEEKS to take this decision while we got just 5 days!! How was that fair?" - Zainab A.

“It is very difficult for me. As an international student, I think my home is more safe than this place. I will be returning my home country shortly. Due to the 12 hours time difference, online course taking means that I have to get up in the mid night and lacking a studio and facilities that the school provides is even worse. I don’t know how I could handle this... “ - Sez Z.

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4. Requests from the Student Body

1. Penalty-Free Course Drop Option  
The quality of classes has gone down.  Most students can’t complete their work remotely. Having online classes can make this time even more difficult and compromising with their mental health.

2. Services to Help Get Students Internships Back 
Even if it is via an email from administration to employers explaining the situation - how we were suddenly forced off campus, how these actions don’t relate to the students' abilities, and how they should seriously consider taking them back once everything clears up. The school's job is to advocate for their students and then thoroughly discuss other internship opportunities for when the aforementioned becomes void. 

3. Services for International Students Who Were Forced to Go Back Home 
Please help with their visas, travel, heightened counseling, tuition rates, relocation expenses, etc.

4. Leeway on Assignments
Lack of work space, storage space, a safe space, basic materials and even basic necessities have alienated students into compromised or nonfunctional learners. A universal pass should be in consideration.

5. Leeway on Attendance 
Similarly, a strict adherence to attendance shouldn’t be counted against students since this is a stressful time. People are struggling with sickness, traveling, lack of internet connection, unstable home lives, etc. Teachers should make classes truly asynchronous and give students credit by the end of the semester. 

6. Extended Authorizations
Authorizations should be extended for an extra semester since students were stripped of these due to the campus closures. 

7. Rebate on Technology Fee, Printing, Facilities 
They are not relevant anymore to our tuition since the student body does not have universal access to facilities. Several other schools such as the University of Maryland have taken leadership in this logistical problem by issuing these returns to their students.

8. Partial Refunds or Tuition Credit for: Studio Courses, and Non-studio Courses Not Conducive to Online Learning 
Shipping resources were not made available to students to access materials. Schools such as Northeastern did not charge while using companies like Olympia Moving in order to provide access to materials. Something that will immensely help is a timely prorate on tuition. Students can use this money towards basic necessities, art supplies, and a safe studio space to practice in for the rest of the semester. As an alternative for students who can afford to attend school longer than expected, tuition credit should be interchangeable with this. Given the total loss of resources to finish out this semester that may or may not be recouped, offering tuition credit for future semesters or the next semester may be a viable solution.

9. Timely and Open Communication with Students 
Students are more than understanding to staff and administration as we know that the outbreak has significantly disrupted everyone's personal lives. The student body read and took to heart many emails that provided sympathetic messages about all of the accommodations we had to make for the semester. However, the communication was not a two-way street; the full extent of those sacrifices were unknown to administration because we were never prompted to communicate back en-masse. The filers of this petition created a brief survey before spring break to account for information that is necessary in the curriculum and operation changes being made at SAIC. We hope the school understands that the labor of creating the survey, gathering all of the responses, and cohesively getting through them was voluntarily done, not because it was extra work, but because we felt that it was necessary. Without knowing the prevalent concerns in the community, SAIC cannot restructure an entire curriculum that is inclusive or beneficial to all. We wish that in the future, there will be surveys to the student body directly from the school in other times of crisis, and that messages to students will continue to be sincere while also addressing students' primary concerns.

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5. Conclusion

    This is an unprecedented situation for everyone involved. Given the ever changing circumstances, SAIC administration made the decisions they felt were necessary at the time, which we understand was hard to do. We only wish to recultivate a learning environment that is beneficial for all of those involved during this period of time. We hope that you will consider our requests with sincere priority and be willing to offer appropriate support throughout this crisis. It will relieve a lot of stress for students in a time that is already traumatic, and reinstall trust in the institution's values and its individuals.