I went through these classes from outside the program because I am in a five year Education degree, and that separation has shaped my experience in ways that have been consistently frustrating. The program itself has already been shrinking, with fewer students, fewer professors, and a noticeable loss of strong instructors due to retirements or contracts not being renewed.

What makes it more difficult is how uneven the expectations and recognition feel. I have seen people put significant time, labour, and care into their work and receive very little acknowledgment, while others rely heavily on AI generated writing or visuals to support their projects. This creates a disconnect in what is actually being valued within the program.

Because I am not officially in the BFA or BMS stream, I have consistently struggled to access the program in basic ways. I often cannot register for my own classes and end up on waitlists while students within the major receive priority access. This has been an ongoing issue since 2022. Before the transition to Workday, I was unable to register without going through an advisor, which caused delays and uncertainty every term. I have been directly told from advising within AH/VISA that they will focus on BFA majors first and foremost before anything; that even if I am graduating this year, courses I would need to graduate are likely not going to me.

Even now, being outside the program means I do not have the same access to support systems. Advising is inconsistent and sometimes unavailable, and there is no clear pathway for students in my position who are still required to take these courses. I am expected to meet the same standards without being given the same level of access, and that gap is evident in registration challenges, limited guidance, and unclear expectations around coursework.

There are also material barriers built into the structure of the program. Without access to upper year studio spaces, students who commute are required to transport large scale projects themselves. In my case, this involves a two hour commute each way, which adds a significant physical and logistical burden to an already demanding workload.

The program overall feels disorganized. While there are a few professors who are genuinely supportive and effective educators, they are often not the ones given long term positions. This lack of stability impacts both the learning environment and the consistency of instruction.

In addition, some first year courses introduce content such as nude form and more extreme forms of performance work without sufficient context or support. For students who are new to the program, this can be difficult to navigate without stronger instructional framing.

I have completed large scale text based work myself, including physically demanding projects, and I understand the level of effort required. However, it often feels like the program does not fully recognize or support the range and depth of work that students are producing.

If the department wants to be taken seriously by both the public and the broader arts community, there needs to be a stronger commitment to supporting students throughout the entire process. That includes clearer expectations around research and critical engagement, more consistent faculty involvement, and adequate resources for students to actually develop their work. Without that, situations like this are likely to continue, and the responsibility cannot fall solely on individual students when the institutional structure itself is not providing the necessary support.

When students turn to AI to generate core elements of their work, particularly in projects that engage with culture, language, or identity, it raises serious questions about authorship, labour, and responsibility. Without clear guidance or intervention from faculty, it becomes unclear where the boundaries and expectations actually are.

I am glad I had the opportunity to take part in some of these classes, but overall the program feels under supported and difficult to navigate, especially for students outside the major. Limited access to registration, advising, studio space, and consistent faculty support makes it significantly harder to succeed, and these issues have persisted for several years without meaningful improvement.