Dear Internet,
I am a student from the Art Institute-Los Angeles. Like many I am not happy with the new changes occurring. No I don't mean something frivolous as them changing some this in the vending machines. Not only is has is become a school for profit but it has been making more and more poor decisions. I like many others all over the nation of the Art Institutes have been robbed of a proper education and most of or money from tuition. They have been laying off teachers back a forth because over all the Art Institutes combined are not reaching the quota.
So despite the Art Institute- Los Angeles being one of the best and most well off Art Institute we have been hit hard and our Animation department has been hit the most. Our counselors’ numbers have greatly diminished and classes like Rigging and 3D character animation well only be available as an online course. I came to this school for not only a reason but for a drive to become a better artist and become an animator. Right now many students and teachers are banding together to bring the media into the situation fixed and have the school be more for the students than for the higher up business people who want our money and don't care about our dreams and aspiration. The school has already started advertising new job openings for the school on Craig's List and the actions have barely started and they have not even completed all the proper lay off steps.
They had already begun laying people off 3 quarters ago but now they seem to be at full swing. The people that have been laid off just this week include:
Peter Gend
Verna Abe
Jerry K.
Nick Kozis
Rafael Cruz
Phil Mendez
Mike Libonati
Here is a link to a small petition to keep them for our specific Art Institute:
www.change.org/petitions/edmc-…More are being laid off as we speak and this is just the Los Angeles Animation department. So far about 800 teachers nationwide have been fired and these are not the part timers, these are the full time instructors and Department heads. There is obvious corruption in this school and forces all the teachers to have an E-book for class that's always 50 dollars here's the link to a situation that happen when a teacher did not adhere to this.
www.cartoonbrew.com/ideas-comm…Animation isn't the only ones suffering and will have to go through changes. Game Art, Fashion, Audio, Film, Interior Design, Graphic Design, and even Culinary will be effected by this.
There have also been many lawsuits against the schools and they have yet to change and continue to make poor decisions for the students like buying TVs that show only advertisement of the school itself and constantly repainting the walls and other such things that are helpful in getting more recruited AI students. Even the Financial Aid department has been messing up very badly and only helping students into debt like in the following links:
www.courthousenews.com/2012/04…www.marcarianlaw.us/classactio…Even the pay for the staffs have become warped and corrupted as for all the students recruited for each one the recruiter gets paid more:
californiawatch.org/dailyrepor…The school has official been claimed a For-Profit School:
www.quickanded.com/2012/03/ace…It is also known for the one of the biggest for profit in the nation and has been sued for fraud:
www.petapixel.com/2011/09/02/u…The EDMC has not heard our small voice but we will be louder with your help fellow artist and appreciators of art. Here is the higher ups information and if you wish to voice your concern to them:
Marick, Gregory
President, Administration EDMC
gmarick@aii.edu
3601 W. Sunflower Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92704
Phone (714) 830-0208
Mobile phone (714) 317-6060
Fax (714) 556-2054
Nilipour, Amir
VP of Academic Affairs-Regional Spec, Academic Affairs/Education
EDMC
anilipour@edmc.edu
27091 Pacific Terrace Drive
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
Phone (949) 521-0776
Mobile phone (949) 521-0776
Fax (949) 340-3555
Nelson, Todd
CEO, Administration EDMC
todd.nelson@edmc.edu
210 Sixth Ave 33rd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Phone (412) 995-7340
Fax (412) 391-1826
Ball, Ryan E.
Campus President (C) , Administration EDMC AiCALA Campus
rball@aii.edu
Mazzoni, John
SVP & President of The Art Institutes, Administration EDMC
john.mazzoni@aii.edu
210 Sixth Avenue, 32nd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Phone (412)995-7154
Main, Robin
Executive Assitant/Office Manager, Administration EDMC
rmain@aii.edu
3601 W. Sunflower Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92704
Phone (714) 830-0208
Mobile phone (949) 230-4158
Fax (714) 556-2054
Tsatsoulis, Vasilios
Group Vice President - Ai Western Region, Administration EDMC
vtsatsoulis@aii.edu
Phone (949) 498-5448
Mobile phone (310) 405-1291
Fax (949)498-5944
Pufahl, John
Vice President Academic Affairs, The Art Institutes, Academic Affairs/Education EDMC
jpufahl@edmc.edu
2 Sorghum Lane
Savannah, GA 31411
Phone (912) 596-4625
Mobile phone (912) 596-4625
If you guys have a tumblr please reblog this!
fmaramen.tumblr.com/post/30121…Share this on FB and if you want change it to our profile picture:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbi…Or repost this journal and help spread the word! Or resubmit this deviation with the same info
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