SquareOne News
by Chris Hammond
Senior students and staff at Edinburgh College of Art have raised concerns over the institution's spending after learning thousands of pounds have been spent on what many believe to be unnecessary extravagances.
Foremost amongst student gripes are the purchases of a chair costing £1,800, along with four powerful projectors totalling £60,000. These projectors are housed in the reception of Evolution House and project both the ECA logo and student artwork onto the walls. Connor Dupre a 4th year student said “There are four of those projectors and I believe Wembley Stadium only needs two. It’s bad management considering the distance they actually project in the reception.” A member of the ECA staff who wishes to remain anonymous also told SquareOne that the projectors were so powerful only one was needed on Madonna’s last world tour.
£167,000 was also spent during the design consultancy for Evolution House and projects at the Lauriston Place campus. ECA includes interior design as one of its taught disciplines. Miss Hollie Reid, student at ECA is disappointed that the College management didn’t ask students to do the work instead of outside contractors: “For the work on The Wee Red Bar in college, the students were involved and it went well . . . surely it would’ve looked good for the college to have had the students do this? It looks like another real waste of money.”
Malcolm Gauldie another 4th year, is angry about the amount spent on the interior design consultation. “I think there has to be an investment in the students and interior design is pretty superficial when you come down to it, we need more space, better tools for technicians to help the students and improved facilities.”
The support staff have also been affected with students noticing a decline in their work space and resources. Not only that but under a new job evaluation scheme, some staff claimed they could have their wages reduced by as much as a third in three years time. Miss Reid said: “The technicians help us get our degree, they’re essential whereas the projectors and things like that aren’t. These guys are integral to everything and are always here to help us. They should be getting a pay rise!” SquareOne can reveal that at a time some staff look set to lose money Ian Howard the Edinburgh College of Art Head took a 15% pay increase between 2005/6 and 2006/7 bringing his salary up to £112,608 per annum.
According to the ECA’s own website “operating costs are primarily met through government educational grants and student fees.” Despite this they state that “costs of essential student exhibitions such as the annual Fashion and Degree Shows must be met from sponsorship, ticket income and the generous support of our alumni and the general public.”
Michael Wood the College Secretary said that he had not received any complaints from students or staff on the issues raised. And went on to say that: “the College is committed to cost-effectiveness – it has now reduced its estate from 11 buildings to 4 which provides students with some of the best art and design facilities in the world, not just in the UK. The furnishings for students in the new building are the same as for the administrative departments – it would be a false economy to buy cheap, inferior designed furniture. The new building's interior design has recently won a top merit award in the US, which again promotes the College and Scottish higher education to the wider world in a very positive light. Both the architect of Evolution House and the lead interior design consultant are College graduates, so the institution does invest in its own home-grown talent.”
