In Defense of Film Studies at Loyola

[The following is written by one of the most passionate film students I've had the pleasure of knowing. He cares about this program and the people in it, and I sincerely hope his efforts don't go unnoticed. ~Vince.]

Hello Students

My name is Scott Salhanick and I am an International Film and Media Studies major on production track.

I am here today to talk to you about the injustice of the closing of Damen 437 and how it affects us, as students of Loyola University Chicago.

Many of you, as Communications Studies majors and minors, will, in your Loyola career, take at least one production course, if you have not already. You will use either Final Cut Pro for video editing and/or ProTools suite for audio editing.

Currently, there are thirty-three plus students enrolled in courses, which use Final Cut Pro. However, with the closing of Damen 437, the number of available computers at the Lake Shore Campus decreases 29.4% from 17 available computers to 5 available computers, three in the Digital Media Lab and two Macbook Pros with Final Cut Pro installed. Also, there are fifteen plus students enrolled in courses, which use ProTools suite. Yet, there are no ProTools labs available at the Lake Shore Campus.

The gross lack of facilities at the Lake Shore Campus of Loyola University not only hinders the schools ability to stay competitive with other schools in Chicago and nationwide, but, more importantly, this also hinders the ability of the students to do their assigned work.

The closing of Damen 437, to communications and International Film and Media studies majors and minors, is tantamount to the closing of the Information Commons or the Cudahy Library.

The mission statement of Loyola University Chicago says:

We are Chicago’s Jesuit Catholic University – A diverse community seeking God in all things and working to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice, and faith.

By closing Damen 437, this goes in direct opposition of the school’s mission statement by inhibiting the students from expanding their knowledge in the service of humanity through learning.

By closing Damen 437, this goes in direct opposition of the school’s mission statement by providing an injustice to the very students the mission statement was written for.

By closing Damen 437, this goes in direct opposition of the school’s mission statement by depriving the students of the faith they have in their administration.

There are ways to repair this injustice; however, it is on the shoulders of the administration to take the first step. The main reason the administration has told me that they have shut down Damen 437 is because there is no way of monitoring the classroom. There is only one monitored computer lab in the entire school, aside from the Information Commons, and that is the State Room in CFSU. The rest of the computer labs, both in Mundelein and Damen, are monitored on rounds every hour or so. Why can Damen 437 not be on these rounds? Moreover, Loyola could place a work-study student at the desk in Damen 437 for a few hours a day.

So, please think about what I have said and think about what it means to have Damen 437 open again.