How are the program changes affecting you?

[David Costa‏]

To my fellow students:

The recent changes to the FIW program are affecting a number of students quite negatively.  I remind you that tomorrow evening (Tuesday) at 5pm (Rm 2556), there will be a meeting to hopefully address these issues.

It is important that the student voices be heard, so I would encourage you to please let me know how these changes are impacting you, and what you feel can be done about it.

If you do not wish to respond to this group, please feel free to send me an email: david.c...@gmail.com.

Cheers,

David

[Alonso Ortiz‏]

I am currently not a student of RRCC and IT ha salteado affected me. I planned on movin out to Denver in the summer to attend just to join this woodoworkig department. Had already applied with intentions to pursue a certificate in the Luthier department. Now that the department will be closing in the spring I don't know what I will do. I wish the department will atleast close after the students who have already applied for the fall semester have finished off becaus enow I have applied and commit to a school that can no longner promise me what I had originally wanted. Having two more semesters of this department is unsatisfactory in such short notice because as it is now I don't even think I'll be able to build a guitar in my times at Red Rocks since classes are already full. I wish the program would have shutdown within two years at the very least to allow enough time for people to finish up certification considering the program was an available option when we applied. The two semesters does not offer enough time for most people to finish up and it is simply unfair to many people.

[McGuire Scroggins‏]

I am a graduate of the fine woodworking program and hold certificates in joinery, lutherie and other things. I am deeply saddened to learn that this program is going away. I have heard many people since to the program and have always thought that I would like to come back to build I'll get star or two in the future as time permitted. This is such a unique and special program that has gone through so many difficulties to survive. It is a great loss to our community if this goes away.

On Apr 11, 2017 11:37 AM, "Alonso Ortiz" <ortiza...@gmail.com> wrote:

I am currently not a student of RRCC and IT ha salteado affected me. I planned on movin out to Denver in the summer to attend just to join this woodoworkig department. Had already applied with intentions to pursue a certificate in the Luthier department. Now that the department will be closing in the spring I don't know what I will do. I wish the department will atleast close after the students who have already applied for the fall semester have finished off becaus enow I have applied and commit to a school that can no longner promise me what I had originally wanted. Having two more semesters of this department is unsatisfactory in such short notice because as it is now I don't even think I'll be able to build a guitar in my times at Red Rocks since classes are already full. I wish the program would have shutdown within two years at the very least to allow enough time for people to finish up certification considering the program was an available option when we applied. The two semesters does not offer enough time for most people to finish up and it is simply unfair to many people.

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[justin holstein‏]

David, I can't thank you and others enough for putting the effort you did into the meeting last night. Your points about FIW I believe were spot on. The program at RRCC is incredibly unique and that uniqueness sets it apart from just about every other community college in the country. I have noticed how students in the program feed off of each other. One class spurs interest from students in other classes and the program seems to feed off of itself. The learning environment is osmotic in nature throughout the program. It is a totally unique and model learning environment you do not have in any other college experience I have ever been in. Something the college should be marketing and taking full advantage of. 

As a luthier student I can't tell you how heartbreaking it is to find out the program is being killed. My dream of learning this craft and skill is pretty much been shattered. My story is pretty simple. I was in the program 3 years ago when I became very ill and had to quit. Upon my recovery I decided to get re-enrolled this spring semester in Luthierie only to find out I will not be able to complete my certificate as I had hoped. A crushing blow to recover from an illness with high hopes to only have them crushed again. I understand budgets and enrollment in the college as a whole is down creating some hard decisions for the administration to cut programs that don't generate the revenues the school would like. I find it pretty stunning for the school to not recognized the unique marketability of FIW and Luthier program among other unique classes FIW used to offer. I truly believe if marketed properly the entire program would simply explode with success. There aren't but a couple community colleges in this country that offer anything close to what RRCC's FIW program could offer and did offer. 

The most puzzling question to me is why Luthierie was targeted specifically. After looking at the new fall schedule it looks like the FIW program is being turned into nothing but a labor mill for industry. I do not begrudge the school or staff for wanting the technological aspect of the program to be a success. There is nothing wrong with that. I do feel that the notoriety of FIW as a whole will eventually be hurt by losing or eliminating the "craftsmen" aspect of the FIW program including Luthierie. CNC is a technology based, production based type of woodworking, but it doesn't necessarily create true craftsmen. It creates code writers which is fine and there is nothing wrong with that. Many students don't want to be robots though. They want to create with their hands and learn the tactile aspect of craftsmanship. There is no substitute for the types of hands on learning these classes that have been eliminated create.

Sincerely, Justin Holstein