Budget cuts continue to affect SF State students-- including the cinema department. Yet despite the budget issues SF State has been facing, the cinema department managed to make additions to the department as well as plans to purchase more equipment. This has affected students because the wait period to receive and upgrade staff and equipement has been very long.

In a student survey prepared by the Department of University and Budget Planning at SF State, 3.1 percent of students are designated cinema majors. This means that roughly 641 students, plus undeclared freshman and juniors, are packed into overcrowded classes and competing to check out equipment to do their projects.

“I’m trying to graduate in two semesters but it looks like it’s not gonna happen,” said Sarah Marsh, 22, cinema major. “I couldn’t even get into the classes I needed this semester so I’m actually falling behind.” Students like Marsh have also had the problem of not getting mandatory classes because they become full or are not offered at the time that a student can attend them.

Students who are fortunate enough to be able to enroll in these classes face the problem of using equipment that is not equally accessible and up to date. The issue is that some of the equipment is damaged or not yet upgraded. This can affect any student in the cinema department because they have deadlines on projects and having sufficient equipment helps in meeting them. If the equipment is damaged, student projects and assignments can be delayed. There is an equal amount of frustration when upgraded equipment is not available to senior or graduate students.

“If I’m paying all this money to come to school, I should be able to use up-to-date equipment," said Alfredo Jimenez, 24, a senior cinema major.

Being in a cramped room with as many as 50 students can be distracting. It can feel like the quality of learning is not as good compared to a room of 25 students. "It gets annoying trying to hear a teacher and the only seat available is the one in the back where you can't hear,” said Megan Johnson, 20, a cinema major. The environment a student is in can affect the way they learn. These crowded classrooms can distract students and be just as stressful for the teacher to try to teach them. “It can be hard at times to amplify your voice so that all the students can hear and see what you’re trying to teach them when there is so many of them,” said Professor Jennifer Hammett.

All these concerns contribute to how students learn and how soon they are able to graduate. “Although all CSUs were cut $326 million, there is $78.6 million in unfunded mandatory cost to open new classrooms, offices, laboratories and faculty,” as stated by the CSU Board of Trustees. This gives the department the ability to hire new staff and get new equipment as well as avoid having classes cut for the spring semester.

Although there is a delay in upgrading new equipment, the department is collaborating with the College of Creative Arts to raise money to buy new film and digital equipment. “We are aware that some of the equipment needs upgrading and we are taking the steps necessary to improve them,” said cinema department chair Stephen Ujlaki.

The cinema department has also hired three new faculty members which will allow it to add new classes that many students were shut out of this semester. Ujlaki also added that, although times are hard with the budget cuts, there is no plan to cut any classes for next semester.

Students may be having a rough time, but the department is aware of the issues that many students are facing and are trying to improve these situations.

“The cinema department is going through changes as the cuts continue,” said Ujlaki. “But students will still be able to receive the education they deserve with the right equipment and classes.”