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One Debt proposal
- 1. i One Debt A Student Curated Exhibition By Valerie Brown Evelyn Frederick Stacey Kotcher Debbie Pavlovich Heather Wallace Sponsored and Supervised in Part by: Susette Min of the ART HISTORY department of UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS 2014
- 2. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents..............................................................................................................................................2 Abstract.............................................................................................................................................................3 Introduction.......................................................................................................................................................4 Background.......................................................................................................................................................4 Exhibition Description......................................................................................................................................5 Challenge..........................................................................................................................................................6 Works Cited......................................................................................................................................................7 Budget...............................................................................................................................................................8 Deadline and Task List.....................................................................................................................................9 Resources Consulted.......................................................................................................................................10 Images.............................................................................................................................................................15
- 3. 3 Abstract One UC Davis ONE Debt is OUR story. --- It’s the reason we stare at piles of OUR own dirty laundry. It's the reason we are on OUR third bowl of ramen. It’s the reason we have to count quarters we scrounged from OUR pockets. It’s the reason we are scared for OUR futures. It’s OUR Debt. At a staggering amount of $1 trillion of debt and counting, student debt has become the nation’s number one debt across America. At UC Davis alone, the average amount of debt a student graduates with is an overwhelming $19,000. This can be attributed to the 220% increase of tuition fees and the 25% decrease of state funding in the past decade. The purpose of this exhibit is to illuminate what’s at stake: the transition of education from a right to a privilege. The aim of this exhibit is to tell the stories of students who are suffering trying to make ends meet but with no end in sight. One Debt is an exhibit that tells a story that isn’t being told. It’s an exhibit that tells OUR story. Any appropriations of themes or elements are meant only to enhance the project.
- 4. 4 Introduction Across the country, student debt is in the trillions of dollars. UC Davis students currently graduate with a relatively low level of debt, an average of $17,000 with less than 2% of students exceeding $50,000. However, rising UC tuition— having gone up 220% in the last decade—and decreased support from the State of California threatens to increase the funds students are forced to borrow. Awareness is the first step to formulating a solution. One Debt aims to bring attention to the issue of student debt and in doing so, be a catalyst for discussion towards a solution. One Debt will use a combination of guerilla art and social media to ask questions about student versus university financial burdens: What actions is the university taking to deal with this crisis? Why is the issue of student debt not more publicized and addressed by the university? Is the university partly responsible? By asking these types of questions, the exhibition confronts both students and faculty, and forces them to engage and respond to the issues concerning the imminent crisis of student debt. Background One UC Davis The One UC Davis Campaign centers on how UC Davis prepares its students for the real world as well as the university’s contribution to society as a whole. It features success stories of faculty, students and alumni, describing how they are changing the campus and the world. Here is the official description from the website: “ONE WORLD, ONE UC DAVIS IS YOU — a global network of people connected to our university. It is the positive impact of our unsung heroes, imaginative research teams and innovative thinkers. What our people share in common is they are transforming lives, celebrating humanity and nature, and inspiring breakthroughs in California and beyond. In our campaign, we tell the stories about how together, at UC Davis, we are changing our world for the better.” In the eyes of the curators, the campaign only tells one side of the story, and that the issues facing students in terms of cost for attending UC Davis must be addressed. Student Debt UC Davis is on the edge of affordability for both low and mid-income students. Mid- income students are actually at the greatest disadvantage because they do not receive financial aid and their parents cannot easily afford rising tuition. For these students, their costs have increased the most over the last 10 years. When low-income students receive aid they are often still expected to contribute up to $10,000, which often cannot be funded through other scholarships without decreasing the amount of aid they receive through the school. Scholarships for these students are often also expected to cover living expenses. Taking out loans becomes the only option, which can burden the student for years or even a lifetime. This is not to say that the administration has not addressed some of these concerns. A new scholarship has been introduced for students whose parents make $80,000-$100,000 per year. Additionally, the 2020 Initiative aims to bring in 5,000 more students, specifically targeting
- 5. 5 more out-of-state and international students who are charged higher tuition prices compared to in-state students. If California taxpayers are contributing funding for state schools, relying on these out of state students to resolve the debt crisis is not a viable solution. These students will most likely move away from California when they are finished with their education, so the state’s economy will not benefit from educating them. In turn, being overburdened with debt keeps in state students from having disposable income to support the California economy. Student loans are an investment in the student’s future, but providing education for all students is also an investment in our economy and society as a whole. Exhibition Description The exhibition will consist of two parts: a physical component and a virtual component. Both of these will play off the One UC Davis campaign and social media in order to reach the target audiences of both students and the administration. The physical component of the exhibition will center on the banners created by the One UC Davis campaign, displayed in key areas around campus. Alternative banners will be created, with text providing information about student debt in addition to photographs of students who are suffering because of their debt. Displaying these alternative banners side by side with the One UC Davis banners will draw attention to the issue of student debt, in contrast to the ideas put forth by One UC Davis. In addition, the exhibition posters/banners may even draw attention to the existing posters, which often go unnoticed. Already strategically placed in six areas around campus—down the center of the quad, on the path to 3rd St., etc.—the One UC Davis banners create a perfect display place for the exhibition. Content of these banners will focus on a variety of issues we have researched: how debt affects students’ daily lives and what sacrifices students are forced to make; the “solution” from the 2020 Initiative of bringing in international and out-of-state students to create more income for the school at the disadvantage of California taxpayers; the State’s low contribution per student for higher education; and finally, how education has become a commodity and the idea of the indentured student. These ideas will be represented through pictures of students leaving work at late hours because they’re forced to work around their school schedule, cramming more people than is comfortable into an apartment to save money on rent, students with empty fridges because they can’t afford groceries, etc. The students we photograph will also be the students we interview on our website—they will tell the other side of the story. A part of the website of the One UC Davis campaign is a map that shows these banners and their location on campus. In the instance that these banners are removed or damaged due to weather, the exhibition team will also create a similar web page in order that they may still be viewed as an online exhibition. The online exhibition will be made known through the use of stickers with the exhibition’s logo that will be placed all around campus. The second component of the exhibition will be contingent on online participation. Using the #oneucdavis provided by the campaign as well as our #onedebt, students can link pictures and tweets of student debt together via Instagram/Twitter. By using #oneucdavis, the tweets and Instagrams will be sent to the administration who run the campaign and the One UC Davis
- 6. 6 website, possibly flooding the website with pictures of the exhibition posters or tweets about their own student debt. The question it will pose to the administration overall is this: the administration launched a new campaign, but it only tells us half of the story of UC Davis. What world are they benefiting if students are entering the workforce with massive amounts of debt? The other portion of the online component is the creation of a page with summaries and links to articles that offer more information on student debt. The website will take the form of a website page mocking the One UC Davis page. Using a mock website, we can let people share their own stories in the same way One UC Davis encourages students to share their stories. This website will also have a video commercial to parody the One UC Davis videos, that discusses student debt and the campus in a satirical tone. The creation of a clever and humorous Buzzfeed article will also be very effective and will be shared on other social media. Challenge We will need to create different content: six banners (approximately 4’x2’ each, for the six locations), a web page, videos, and a Buzzfeed article. The participation of students might ultimately be the most telling part of the exhibition—whether or not they choose to share our content may indicate how concerned students are with student debt. It may also be most telling in the opposite regard: how likely are students to ignore their own student debt even when confronted with it? Do students take debt seriously? Overall, our goal as curators is to confront and agitate both students and the administration with the facts our research has uncovered. I think the information we have found has the capacity to go viral and create debate and discussion, but also outrage on the campus.
- 7. 7 Works Cited Cunningham, Taylor. "One World, One UC Davis Campaign Aims to Increase University Visibility." The Aggie. UC Davis, 30 Jan. 2014. Web. 04 Feb. 2014. Fensterwald, John. "California Drops to 49th in School Spending in Annual Ed Week Report." EdSource Today. EdSource, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 04 Feb. 2014. Stevens, Ann. "California Students' Debt Less than in Most States." SFGate. N.p., 26 Dec. 2013. Web. 04 Feb. 2014.
- 8. 8 Budget Materials Number Cost Projected Expense Banners $349 $349 Flyers ∞ Paper donated $0 Spray paint 2 $8 $16 Website 1 $30 $30 Total $395.00
- 9. 9 Deadline and Task List Tuesday, 2/25 Final draft of AHI newsletter press release Sent to Susette for approval Thursday, 2/27 All interviews and photographs completed Friday, 2/28 Banner and flyer drafts will be completed Images of students will not be integrated yet, just the template. Interviews typed and sent for information extraction. Saturday, 3/1 Stacey will extract all relevant information from interviews. -All Photoshop of photographs completed Final banners completed and approved by Susette Banners sent to Copy Land for printing if approved. Sunday, 3/2 Buzz feed article completed Website and Facebook draft completed Draft of bibliography/list of articles/links to films sent to Susette Final draft about exhibition sent to Susette. Monday, 3/3 Flyers printed Tuesday, 3/4 Table tents go up in the Coho All social media up and running. Start posting flyers. Wednesday, 3/5 Finish posting flyers. Sunday, 3/9 Installation of banners at night (Ladder and zip-ties provided) Monday, 3/10 Installation of banners complete, exhibit fully up and running. Banners documented and installation documented
- 12. 12 http://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/1FDB725F/Unemployment-Rates-are- Lower-Among-College-Graduates/ http://www.cnbc.com/id/100989025 http://www.creativeguerrillamarketing.com/guerrilla-marketing/the-80-best-guerilla-marketing- ideas-ive-ever-seen/ --guerrilla ads, some are really effective at getting across a serious message http://www.creativeguerrillamarketing.com/viral-marketing/emotions-key-viral-marketing/ -- about marketing videos, but maybe has some ideas we could use in terms of spreading our idea http://www.dailycal.org/2011/11/07/uc-berkeley-student-loan-debt-despite-rise-less-than- nations-average/ http://www.dailycal.org/2012/05/10/debt-levels-differ-for-colleges/ http://www.defaultmovie.com/ http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/debt-education-bad-for-the-young-bad-for-america http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130730/bushwick/artists-take-stand-on-student-loans- debtfair-art-fair http://www.fine-art.leeds.ac.uk/events/university-of-leeds-fine-art-degree-show/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/22/college- debt_n_471023.html?#s70340&title=Dennis_Shoup_58 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/annie-shattuck/uc-regents-tuition-increase_b_1108336.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kyle-mccarthy/10-fun-facts-about-student-loan- debt_b_4639044.html http://www.kerismith.com/popular-posts/how-to-be-a-guerilla-artist-2/
- 14. 14 s_figures_of_graduate_school_debt.html http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/29695 http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/25/federal-student-loan- profit/3696009/ this talks about the profit the government makes off of student debt -stacey http://www.vulture.com/2013/12/saltz-on-the-trouble-with-the-mfa.html http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/blog/student_loan_debt_focus_on_pu b.php? page=all http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFyJ-MumME4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvQR93C6n2E http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/unemployment.final.update1.pdf https://musiciansway.com/blog/2013/09/how-to-avoid-excessive-student-debt/ https://www.ed.gov/blog/2013/05/4-mistakes-i-made-with-my-student-loans-and-how- you-can- avoid-them/ https://www.facebook.com/events/2613413339 61211/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOP2V_np 2c0
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