Where’s The Money?

SAIC Deals With
Budget Cuts

By Yvonne Dutchover

Whether it’s cutting down on office supplies or coming up with creative solutions, departments around the School of the Art Institute of Chicago are still dealing with the aftermath of financial restraints put in place over the summer. As F News reported in September 2002, “The largest impact AIC’s financial woes have had on SAIC is the 6.5 percent budget cut for all departments this summer. On top of this, staff benefits were cut and faculty did not receive raises this past year.” But what are the results of those cuts?

According to Brian Esker, Vice President of Finance at SAIC, the school and museum “are in the process of working with a planning committee, pulling together the long-range planning for the school and addressing some of the facilities.” These meetings will extend through June, when next year’s budget is approved.

Esker says that at the moment there are no plans for additional budget cuts and “at this time there are no conversations about layoffs.” When asked about tuition increases, he said that while “tuition tends to increase at every school,” there are no immediate plans for an increase in the price of education here at SAIC.

Different departments are dealing with the current budget constraints in varying ways. Sarah Sharp, the coordinator for the MFA Writing department said, “We’re probably the least affected department” in terms of budget cuts. So far, the Writing program’s biggest pinch has been in its copy budget, its largest expense, though it hasn’t had a big impact on the department as a whole. “I look at the budget and make it work,” Sharp said.

However, she did acknowledge that “[The administration is] cracking down all over the place.” The Writing program, for example, typically holds one function per semester for all of the program’s candidates to get together. These events have included drinks at a local bar or a night of bowling. But this past fall, the Writing program had to hold a yard/bake sale fundraiser in order to hold its end-of-the semester celebration.

Luckily, there have been no reduction in classes in the Writing department and no loss of student staff, although Sharp pointed out that “last year we had someone here at all times — winter, summer, spring breaks. This year we couldn’t afford a student worker over December.”

While these changes are not overwhelming, Sharp is more concerned about the future. She predicts that “things are going to go downhill next semester.” She has heard rumors of possible staff layoffs, although “we haven’t gotten a firm answer.” Perhaps the restraints are already being felt in the Writing department, however. This spring, there were not enough slots for Writing students who needed grad project advisors.

When Craig Downs, Assistant Director of the Media Centers, was asked how budget cuts have affected his department’s day-to-day operations, he said, “Nothing visible. As we’re planning for what we will need to buy next semester, we’re going ahead with repairs for necessary equipment, replacement, but nothing new. We can only replace things that have been lost or stolen.”

While the student workforce hasn’t been affected and hours at the media centers will, in fact, increase next Fall semester, there are other issues. “We can’t expand right now. We’re hobbled in terms of expansion.” And he added, “Most of the things we need to expand are expensive. We figure we’ll need to do something about our still digital cameras ... [either] replacing or upgrading.” The other items needed are big-ticket equipment. For example, video projectors. More students in different departments are using video projectors in their work. But “the cheapest video projector is $3,000.” Downs predicted, “As the demand increases, if our supply does not increase, we will run into trouble in a couple of years.”

In Downs’ estimation, “exhibitions are going to be hit sooner than average [equipment] circulation.” He added, “I’m afraid of the graduate and undergraduate shows. We’re not going to be able to have a whole lot of flexibility, for example, for people who want video projectors. ... People are using more technological media devices and the demand doesn’t go down.” However, Downs added, “I can’t foresee a time when we won’t be able to provide basic services.”

Unfortunately, there is a group of people in this department already affected by the budget cuts — the figure models who pose in art classes. “One problem is the figure models ... they haven’t had a raise in years. They’re making less money now than they are in other area schools. We’ve fallen behind.” Downs added, “There’s been a lot of turnover. We need to do something to protect some of our most valuable employees.”

Trevor Martin, the Managing Director of the Betty Rymer Gallery, said that the budget cuts “create some creative problems,” but he added, “We’re in the business of coming up with creative solutions.” Budget restraints have affected student staffing at Betty Rymer. “We do run a smaller staff. There are two days I don’t have staff, when we would have before.”

Regarding the programming, Martin said, “We’re trying not to affect the quality of the programming. ... In the past, we’ve done five or six shows a year. This year we’ve decided to go with five shows. Our shows run a bit longer so that they last throughout the year.” Martin added that five shows have been done in the past. However, “the shows that are more expensive, we have to look at really critically.” For instance, a foreign show that would require significant shipping charges would be scrutinized. “We have to be budget conscious ... finding alternative choices.”

Martin compared the situation to going from having a quarter in your pocket to a nickel. “How can you creatively spend those less 20 cents? Instead of cheese and crackers at opening receptions, now we have water and pop. But we’re not about cheese and crackers; we’re about presenting artwork. We’d use that money now to host an artist for an additional day to talk to classes, or to ship a painting.”

On an optimistic note, Martin added, “We can either look at this as an institution and be really pessimistic, or we can look at this as an opportunity. In our times of restricted resources, it is an opportunity for reevaluation and a chance to look at the mission of the institution.”

Our institution’s mission may be even more finely tuned in June, when next year’s budget will be determined. And while every department faces potentially emptier pockets, more creative solutions will have to be pulled out of an ever-shrinking budget.