Dear Editor,
As a senior in the dual degree program with the SMFA, I find the Sept. 19 article about the program horrifying. Our amazing little program gets so little recognition already, and the fact that the Daily decided to draw attention to it in such a negative fashion is both misleading and offensive. On the surface level, there are a number of rumor-based inaccuracies present, such as the cancellation of the dual degree program in favor of a BFA program. A BFA program already exists. Every BFA student enrolled at SMFA takes most of their academics at Tufts, and graduates with a BFA from Tufts. The way the accreditation of the SMFA will affect the dual degree program is yet unclear, and will not be applicable for several years.
Getting into the meat of the article, using a student that dropped the program highlights only the difficulties of being a dual degree student, and none of the benefits. There are dozens of people still happily dual degree-ing, why did only the dissatisfied party get a voice? Referencing a young transfer student neglects the information available from people who've been in the program for years. Focusing on the administrative changes at the Museum School (which almost certainly will not affect most of the students currently in the program) is not an accurate way to represent the program. Every SMFA student, not just those in the dual degree, feels the effect of administrative changes. They are neither focused on us, nor are the changes our main focus as students. Additionally, though it is true that many people drop the program for financial reasons, quite a few do so because they feel they've already achieved what they want to in college, and feel no need to stick around for another year. There is no shame in being done.
The choice to condense the administrative changes and the dual degree program into one unfocused story was unwise and unfair. Keeping in mind that most people who drop the program do so just before graduating in their senior year, this article misses the core value of the dual degree program: we love art, and we love academics, and we're willing to put in the effort to do both. Even the students who opt out of their fifth year take art-heavy course-loads. It is no secret that scheduling is difficult, and the workload is heavy, but we do it because we love it. We are not coerced or confused, we are passionate. I adore my program, my fellow students, my art and my academics. Don't you dare dismiss the program that made it all possible.
Sincerely,
Rachael Jackson
Class of 2014
