By Natalie Sit
Starting Fall 2004, Bachelor of Fine Arts students majoring in Art will have to provide a portfolio for admission.
The main reasons are budget cuts, increasing enrolment and quality of education. According to Art Department Head Gerald Hushlak, Fine Arts had to reduce course offerings by 15 to 20 per cent and cancel all sessional teachers due to budget cuts.
"We have had no new resources since ’83 and the [student] quota was set at 25" said Associate Dean Academic in Fine Arts Keith Burgess. "Now it’s set to 60 and you cannot do a quality job when you’ve tripled the students but not the resources.
Both Burgess and Hushlak see the portfolio as a way to control the number and quality of students. After approval at the Mar. 18 General Faculties Council meeting, the next step is determining the criteria of the portfolio.
"It’s an example of work a student has done," said Hushlak. "It can be anything. It helps us understand what they’re about."
A portfolio is not required for Developmental Art, BFA Honours or Art History.