What’s Really Happening in The School of Building Arts?
Written by Kashvi Pallapotu. Graphics by Kashvi Pallapotu.
SCAD’s once-celebrated building arts program is facing a crossroads. Recent scheduling changes have left students frustrated and concerned about the future quality of their education. What was once a thoughtfully paced curriculum has transformed into a rushed experience that many fear is compromising the program’s reputation for excellence.
“We used to have five-hour studio sessions with meaningful breaks between classes. That breathing room wasn’t just downtime, it was when our best ideas emerged. This new schedule keeps us in back-to-back classes every day, and it just seems unsustainable,” explains a second-year architecture student.
Adding to students’ frustration is a new policy preventing them from storing their models in Clark Hall. Just because this hall is the closest to all the freshman housing, it apparently is “better” if the students carry their models back and forth every day. The policy seems especially puzzling given the program’s emphasis on craftsmanship and material exploration. Students must now transport not only the completed models but also the materials, tools, and work-in-progress between locations daily.
“I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to carry these architectural models across campus multiple times. A full-length project is a minimum of 30 hours of hard work, and I’m worried that it can get compromised when there’s a lot of movement involved,” shares a student who lives in on-campus housing far from the building.
Many students fear these changes signal a shift in priorities that could diminish the program’s standing. SCAD’s building arts department has historically boasted impressive job placement rates and industry connections, achievements students worry may be jeopardized by what they see as corner-cutting measures.
The loss of dedicated workspace in Clark compounds the scheduling problem. Students will now have to spend valuable time that could be devoted to creative development simply transporting and setting up materials. The physical nature of building arts work makes this particularly burdensome compared to other disciplines.
Students have begun organizing to address these concerns, circulating a petition and requesting meetings with department heads. Their hope is that administrators will recognize that what might seem like simple logistical changes have profound implications for educational quality.
As the situation develops, these future architects and designers remain hopeful that their voices will be heard. Their stance is clear: they chose SCAD for excellence, not efficiency, and they’re determined to preserve the quality of education that attracted them to the institution in the first place.
