The SMC Film Club will introduce three initiatives this Fall semester to address long-standing issues at the CMD campus.

The Santa Monica College (SMC) Film Club will introduce three initiatives this Fall semester to address long-standing issues at the Center for Media and Design (CMD) campus. Led by Betsie Garcia, former club president and SMC student, and with the support of faculty and the Expressive Technology Coalition (ETC), they are an effort to tackle equipment rental challenges, ADA accessibility, and storage space for clubs.

Garcia will be working alongside the two newly-elected Film Club presidents, Marco Gamba and Felipe Hoyos, in driving the conversation forward with the SMC Associated Students (A.S.). The club’s leadership intends to formally submit the initiatives soon after their registration with the Inter-Club Council is reviewed on September 7.

The club will focus efforts first on a proposal for creating an equipment rental library. CMD students are currently limited to using media production equipment only during class time. Garcia explained that this heavily impacts those enrolled in the Film Program.

“Submitting any form of professional-looking media is a basic requirement of many creative majors transfer applications,” said Garcia. “So, not having access to equipment is directly affecting many students’ ability to transfer.”

The club submitted their first proposal regarding this issue in the 2022 Fall semester but it was not approved by the A.S. The organization asked for more research to be done as for logistics and support from other departments. The conversations continued through Spring 2023 but only took shape again during Summer.

The club will propose the purchase of $45,000 worth of equipment using funds from the A.S. auxiliary funds, a reserve devised to assist large-scale projects such as this one.

President and founder of the ETC, Kat Nielsen, explained that this problem has been affecting students since 2021. The organization was created in December 2020 as a non-profit coalition at the CMD to unite the Film Club, Mediamakers Club, Acting Club, and others. The ETC will support the initiative once it is introduced to the A.S.

“We now finally have support from faculty members and expect to hear A.S.’s decision by the end of the semester,” said Nielsen. “This measure will not only benefit the Film Club but all other clubs that have equipment needs such as the Debate Club and Game Design Club, for example.”

*Lights on standby in a soundstage at the Center for Media and Design of Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, Calif. on Tuesday. The lights are kept closed to prevent dust and damage.* (Danniel Sumarkho | The Corsair)

Focus will also be directed at addressing ADA accessibility issues related to the campus soundstage which can only be accessed through a set of stairs leading to a subterranean passage and an elevator. Garcia explains that students with disabilities have shared with her that the elevator is “unreliable and not a safe escape route in the event of a fire.” The club will submit a petition proposing the construction of a ramp as an alternative access path.

Another structural challenge affecting CMD clubs is a lack of storage space. Nilsen shared that club members currently need to store all club-related equipment and props at their own homes as SMC currently does not offer space at other campuses either. Garcia explained that this is an issue particularly impacting the Film Club as food and beverages purchased for events have nowhere to be put away.

The Film Club will continue to develop a strategy to address these issues once the rental library petition is underway.

“The CMD is my home away from home, I see how students are being affected every time I’m there,” said Garcia. “These are systematic issues within the campus that the Film club will focus on this semester.”

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