 Good evening everyone welcome. Thank you all so much. We're we I think we're just getting a few more people into the auditorium tonight But I wanted to welcome you to Emily Carr and thank you all for making it tonight I know there's a hockey game and it's a little rainy. So we're competing with some Exciting things happening in the city tonight. My name is Jennifer de domini cheese And I am the vice president of enrollment and student services and registrar here at Emily Carr University of Art and Design and For those of you watching online, thank you so much for tuning in. I want to start First by congratulating all of you. Well done. Very good. You did it You should be incredibly proud of all of your hard work. It was a very competitive competitive year for us and many applicants and you have all Done incredibly well to be sitting here tonight And it's great to see that so many of you have brought your friends and family members to support you you know coming to school and finding the one that is right for you is a big big decision and University is hard work. So you will need the support of those who are closest to you while you make the journey to University and begin your studies. So next year this next year is all about engaging with the vibrant community of artists artists, scholars, designers and media makers that make up Emily Carr. Tonight We're here to introduce you to some of these people and to help you answer any questions You may have about what things will be like next year and beyond next year We've assembled a great team of faculty, staff and students who are here to provide you with information about what your experience Will be like as a first-year foundation student And I want to begin by introducing some members of our academic leadership who are here with us tonight first Dr. David Bogan who is our VP academic and provost as well as Susan Stewart Susan who is our Dean of the faculty of culture and community and now To get things started, please join me in welcoming Dr. Ron Burnett president and vice chancellor of Emily Carr So Thank you and welcome I'm delighted that you've come out in such large numbers and I'll reiterate what Jennifer said which is Congratulations, it's an amazing achievement this was a very difficult year to get into Emily Carr and you have made it and You'll never forget it The beauty of the experience of coming to this institution is not only that it is unique and specialized But that among the specialized institutions of this kind in the world. We're among the leaders So if there's 10 to 15 top schools in North America Emily Carr is I Would say five six seven eight in that range and why are we so good? Well, honestly, we have an amazing cohort of students that come to this place Unbelievably creative when you see the work just that the foundation year has produced over in the north building It takes your breath away, but we have fantastic faculty really dedicated teachers and extraordinary staff that works devotedly for everyone and some pretty good administrators And that combination Bringing together the emotions and feelings of what creativity means the passion for creating The involvement with community that that is a fundamental kind of DNA of this institution So you're the class of 2019 and in two years time will move to this Which is a 300,000 square foot campus one of the first Campuses of its kind built in North America completely and utterly devoted to art design and media An extraordinary moment in the history of this institution. We're turning 90 this year So in September when you come you'll suddenly see all these signs everywhere as we celebrate our 90th anniversary Started in 1925 by a group of three people This building solidifies the presence of Emily Carr University as a major institution Not only in the lower mainland in British Columbia in Canada, but in the world and Inside its four floors are the everything that you see here, but magnified and most importantly all new It's surrounded by plazas and walking areas it will eventually have a Sky train station adjacent to it It'll have an extraordinary level of involvement with the community around it It's been designed internally and externally to express the story of creativity itself So that screen that you see on the side there That's the box in which we do we have a black box here called motion capture Where we can produce anything from stereographic 3d films to games and that box the exterior of it We'll have somewhere between 100 and 150 led screens during the summer we can screen films Other times of the year we can screen the news whatever we want It's entirely programmable, and that's the interesting thing about this entire campus environment Everything in it is plug-and-play. It's built on the principle that creative people like to recreate Where they live where they work they like to make it more representative of what they're thinking about and what they're doing So the entire campus is built on a plug-and-play principle But it's more than that a building is nothing if you don't have the people in it And you're the key to the future of creativity. It's a funny thing You know governments make weird decisions all the time as we know And one of the great decisions here was a decision to support us one of the decisions that That needs to be understood in Canada as a whole is that about 10% of our GDP is in the creative sector So for the parents who are here who fear the outcome of their of their children's creativity or worried Oh my god, what are they going into? They're just gonna fool around with this and that And I know there's some of you here Let me assure you that it's quite the reverse that what 10% of the GDP is billions not millions In a trillion-dollar economy. It's a significant proportion and it ranges across every imaginable field that you experience on an Everyday basis throughout your life from the tourist Trips that you take where you go to a museum right through to the television that you watch to the films you go to To the objects that you buy to the ceramics that you may love it goes on and on So the presence of art in your life is actually far higher far greater far denser than you may ever imagine and it's To the parents here. It's your kids that are going to be the producers of that creativity and in Canada You know the as we've moved forward and as the the various provincial and federal governments have begun to understand the importance of the creative economy They've become actually much more active in trying to support it. So what you see here is not just a building This is a project. It's an art project actually for some of us a very big art project 122 million dollar art project But it nonetheless it is a project and it's a project to create a space where people will feel comfortable Where you'll be happy where you'll engage with your fellow students where you'll feel that you have the chance to collectively work on projects together Where you'll also feel much more connected to your teachers. We're hoping idealistically for something really spectacular and I can tell you that the that part of Vancouver that it's going to be in Which is just east of Maine on Great Northern Way. So between Maine and Clark on Great Northern Way that entire area now with the coming of the St. Paul's Hospital Will change dramatically and over the next decade you'll see and you'll be part of a Transformation of an area that has been waiting to be transformed for the last 50 years Very very significant. It just so happens historically by the way that art schools in general provoke profound change in cities So the one other thing I'll mention to you is that this is also a city building project this is about changing Vancouver and Making it very apparent and visible to everyone who lives here that the creative sector is as much a part of our overall Genetic makeup as anything else that we do So I'm waiting for Great Northern Way to turn from a highway into a street And those of you the drive it notice that everybody drives at 80 kilometers an hour if not more And I'm waiting for that moment when St. Paul's when 2020 completes a significant proportion of its building When the flats then turn into this exciting area of artistic Healthcare by the way, you know, we do a lot in healthcare and I'll just tell you a little story I was sitting in my office one day and in walk two people from St. Paul's and said Well, we need help. We're designing the hospital the future. What can you do? And I said, well, we can do anything and everything we can help you with the structure We can help you with the design. We can help you with the thinking we can help you with the passion Most of all we can help you because we're smart So my final comment is to you that university is big is about becoming smarter and smarter and to the parents Beware because they're gonna get more intelligent and thus more aware. Thank you Thank you, Ron. So next up we have I will invite Dionne Acchiati assistant dean foundation and gay Fowler our foundation program advisor Who are going to tell you a little bit about the first year of your student experience at Emily Carr? Thanks, Jennifer and Again, congratulations to all of you here I'm really happy to see you here And I'm really glad that you've had an opportunity to see the foundation show across the hall What that show demonstrates is a really wide diversity of approaches of our students and demonstrates the commitment that we have to critical thinking and critical inquiry in our curriculum To give you a little bit of context in the exhibition across the road In the main gallery is work that's been self-selected by the students that best represents their efforts and work throughout the year and in the hallways and in the classrooms to the side are examples of some of the Assignments and curriculum and the work that comes out of those As you come into Emily Carr the one thing that we're really interested in doing here is Teaching you and working with you to work through ideas and to make those ideas into form Whether those forms are in the form of pictures in the form of media and the form of design objects But how do you translate all this stuff that you've been thinking about? How do you translate all your questions? How do you translate? Any of the things you've been paying attention to and want to talk about into something that is visually Visually manifested and to do that we take you through a range of courses some that are required and some that are elective Dr. Kelly and dr. Vineyard will talk about the academic core courses in a little bit But along with the academic core we have a range of what we call our core studio classes So there's a core class in design a core class in visual arts and a core class in media And you'll choose two out of those three courses and what each of these core classes provides you is a solid grounding a solid Foundation in the critical ideas methodologies and histories of those particular types of practices Along with that in your first semester you take a class It's called creative process and creative process is a class where you basically? Explore in a very interdisciplinary way. How do you think creatively? How do you work with critical inquiry through material forms? How do you work with materials and translate them into objects that other people can understand and other people can interact with and Then your final studio class in the spring is an elective and the elective you can take in any area of the school And we have electives and everything from Design to animation to ceramics to printmaking and sculpture and social practice just to name a few All of this is then supported by a weekly lecture series called the foundation forums And in the forums we invite artists designers media practitioners curators all sorts of people From Vancouver and beyond who have worked in the creative field for a while Some are Emily Carr alumni some are more more senior artists from elsewhere To give a sense of what the possibilities are outside in the world What do people do with this? What do how do people engage in a creative practice throughout their lives and with all of that together? We hope that we give you a solid foundation in considering the different ways that you might work with art design and media throughout your next four years Another thing that's really important to keep in mind At Emily Carr is that everyone who works here who teaches in your studio classes is also practicing artists or practicing? Designer or practicing filmmaker animator, etc And we're all deeply committed to this artistic practice that we've chosen and what we're hoping to do with you is to really kind of work with you to Give you a sense of how you can work with materials How you can you can use materials to engage the world around you how you can use? Materiality in order to realize your ideas and that with everything that we do in our classes We always go through a process of making and then reflection So we make things we think about them we talk about them We critique them we question them and then we make more things and all of this together forms a studio component for your foundation year So that was just a very brief introduction to what you might expect in the studio components And again, I'm really excited to see you here And I really hope that I get an opportunity to work with you over the next few years And now I'm going to introduce Gaye Fowler who's our foundation program advisor Hi everyone and thank you Dianne and again welcome families and Students potential new students. It's really nice to see you out I know the game's on and I didn't expect to see as many fathers here tonight Anisa, are you putting up my slides? Okay, well, um, I'll introduce myself My name is Gaye Fowler, and I'm the foundation program advisor, which Doesn't really describe my job and what I do I Work I have a very close relationship with the foundation students as I help transition them through their first year of university And their first year of university is Sorry, I'm getting distracted by this It's not only a time when they're growing as Young into young adults many of you are right out of high school, but they're also becoming Emerging as the artist that they're going to become so I'm having a technical difficulty here any saying Thanks, is it off loop? Sorry about that. Um anyways My job is really rewarding The unique thing about foundation as opposed to any other year at this university is that Upwards of 375 of you will be accepted into first year, and it's the only time in your academic Career here that you'll actually work together as a group Multidisciplinary in second year you'll go off into your majors but in first year you get to cross pollinate meet all the people define your groups and Move forward in that exciting time You know I should have done this the way I did it last year, and it really worked I'll tell you a few things about orientation It is happening this year Between September 1st and September 4th, you'll be getting lots of information on email about it The first day is going to be an assembly where we're going to gather you here Can I just scroll through now? Okay. Thank you. Thank you Is going to be An orientation where we're going to gather you all together. It's an assembly day We're going to have you meet key administrative key administrative personnel here You'll have probably a keynote speaker as well. You'll be able to Get together as a large group We'll bring you over get a big group picture of you We'll have a the students union is going to host a Social get together they call it a barbecue, but it's a grilled cheese event and And we'll Invite you to attend the info tables that we'll have set up with and and we really encourage you to go to those Because there's a lot of information there for you So we get you here and cram you together because until we get that lovely new campus that Ron Burnett and many others Have worked really hard to get for us We're going to probably break every fire code and must shoot together there During orientation week, we'll do a series of workshops and one of the favorite ones we have is a graffiti workshop that we do with the students it's led by a quite renowned graffiti artists and Like I can't even say his name because it's like a squiggle and a star or something like that but he'll be leading it and It's a workshop that the students really like we get you working together in big groups and you get to meet everybody So everybody has the same fears in the beginning, but we help as you can see we put you together and People love the workshop as you can see The works that you may go up on display and we make buttons with them or do stuff with them depending um We'll also during or orientation we can all through the month of September and into October everyone will be doing a safety demo It's because we have a technology shop in foundation And that's where you'll be able to learn how to use a whole bunch of power tools Casting mold making there's demos and all kinds of things and it helps you start on your Artistic career so in the shop you learn things like How to breathe through straws And you need a demo for that Not able to forward this. Oh, it's any said slip to something else here Well, there's something else you'll learn here There we are How to give the safe signal of thumbs up that you're still breathing through the straw and How to have your face removed to safely so those are our technicians Megan and Sean who everyone will work with really closely when they Go into the shop so We also have in foundation we're situated in what's called the faculty of culture and community and My office takes community building really seriously I work with foundation students to do a bunch of social activities on campus and We organize this through what we call The awesome committee and all you have to do is sign up for that committee and you are all awesome And that's how that works. So the awesome committee puts on a variety of events We'll do a button-making workshop where you design and make and we stamp them out right down on the spot And then you trade them with other people We'll do our monthly coffee nights, which are really popular they have an open mic so start practicing your ukulele and Lots of people get up and perform There's such a diverse group of people. We really encourage Sharing your background and community with us these people at coffee night were demonstrating Argentinian tango Every year we honor and recognize neruz or persian new year So we set the table with the traditional wares and we have students who will perform traditional persian songs These girls are singing Venezuelan folk songs We have done a day of the dead and We this was fantastic. We did a week of workshops where we learned how to make the traditional paper flowers that you see there We did the whole procession and set up an altar and we learned that the empanadas on the altar are not Empanadas, they're fake We there's a graffiti guy who can't get away from it even on Halloween. He dressed up as a graffiti spray can but we also do a couple of big events every year one one being the Halloween party and as you can imagine as At an art school the costumes are pretty great. We have fantastic prizes and I Mean you're dancing next to deep-sea divers and zombies and you know, I don't know what the yellow balls are But so we they really go for it. We have a great time. Does anybody know who that is? Do you know who that is? I'm Groot. Yeah. Yeah, Groot He wins costumes every year and up we have people come they really go at it This is to prove your your art history education is not going to be wasted. You'll be able to talk about that at Halloween and She was funny on the end because by the end the night her eyes were all over the place. So she was We are Sun Maiden It's completely made out of duct tape so the prize winners that we have are clever not just buying pre-made as you can imagine and This is an industrial design student who decided to make One of these models and I don't know who's going into design, but it's a fairly competitive area And this is what showed up the second year and also a design student So we've a full animatronic. So he wasn't going to be outdone We have this is I keep putting that picture up because it's the last time I had time to get a haircut But it's Sean Megan and myself There's also willow who works in our department that makes up the foundation department that is here to support you and as you'll find with everybody who gets up here and speaks speak we are all here to Make you have a successful time while you're here developing your art practice I'm a real cheerleader for the university. I've worked here for many years. I've taken classes here I really love it here and you students and Watching you develop as people is what makes me get up in the morning and feel happy about coming into work So I I really love foundation But it's enough. It's doesn't mean anything to hear it from me I've got a few slides if when you go over to the foundation show across the road And I strongly encourage you to do that you'll notice beside all the artworks is the label of the student and beside it Is a 50 word statement 50 words or less? And in that statement students are trying to summarize their year their first year of university in the foundation department And I'm gonna do the thing that I hate when anybody else does it, but I'm gonna read as I put it up there In my foundation year, I've had the opportunity to study with many talented people I'm happy to be here and I've challenged myself beyond my limits Never has my life been so dependent on free food. I Feel happy when I wake up in the morning and realize that I'm learning what I really want to learn and becoming what I really want to be I Realized I came to the right school when I could go an entire day in a toga without anyone lifting an eyebrow And he really did that Your life divides into two before and after you attend ECU. I love everything about the school Talented classmates learning environment caring staff and faculty location and a small fantastic community That really sums it up. I Tended ECU and all I got was this world-class education So the foundation show is across the road again, I really encourage you to do that That's one of the final culminations of all our efforts that we put together It's a very strong show this year If you can please pop by there and I look forward to getting to know you and Getting out of bed because I do know you Thank you Thank You gay next I'd like to introduce dr. Trish Kelly and dr. Deirdre vineyard who teach the academic core for the foundation year Thanks, I hope we're Great well to start before my slides up I'm an art historian so I always love it when I have a slide there to throw your attention away from me All my students can tell you that Anyway, my name is Trish and I get to I have the privilege the only faculty member here at Emily car who teaches all first-year Students, so I take that it really as a privilege and while my classes are really large and I don't get to know everyone In the same way, maybe I would have had a class of 20 people It really is a privilege to work with everyone here and to participate in helping you frame your education As particularly as you're starting off I'm going to speak today myself and Deirdre about the academic core, which is a six credit Part of your six. It's a six credit course part of your foundation your curriculum That really brings together a lecture and seminar format to help you engage and expand your visual and verbal literacy In the lecture portion of the course, which is what I do You're going to look at images and objects both contemporary and historical in order to learn to deconstruct the very complex social political and cultural context that influence their making So for example, we'll consider Artists like the the contemporary Chinese artist and book designer Xu Bing and his book from the sky which you see here To consider how signs convey meaning through shared communication Here shoe created over 4,000 unique Chinese characters that look readable to an audience They look like readable angry language. In fact, they even look at important text scrolls hand-printed books But which were completely made up by the artist as a sort of absurd Communication and not understandable to anyone else Or we'll discuss issues of identity and how that's Negotiated through cultural production in the work of artists like the contemporary Canadian artist Brian Jungin who's actually a graduate of Emily Carr in this piece Jungin explores his aboriginal identity through his interest in Cetology a branch of marine science concerned with the study of whales Important to Jungin's First Nations culture On the other hand it also calls up a broader notion of Canadian identity Here I'm showing you a detail of the work and you can see it's entirely composed of plastic long chairs All bearing the price tag from Canadian tire The point is to really understand how cultural products images and objects Communicate to their audiences and how they're that that's particularly important to all of you as makers But also to recognize how this changes over time and how new publics learn to appropriate an interpret Representation so for instance, you may be familiar with Michelangelo Sistine Chapel This is the centerpiece of it which was produced in the 16th century But here it's reused by a contemporary 21st century plastic surgeon Encouraging you to be born again by pressing the elevator button to go to that floor The point in all of this is really to understand that when we look at work produced by diverse cultures at various Historical moments we have to engage ourselves in understanding those contexts. It's complicated and Necessary as you move forward as designers Media practitioners and visual artists and as we move through the course You'll really come to understand the legacy of cultural production that you're inheriting and how it has a social and political Potential that you'll really learn to groom and to shape as you will so now did was going to talk I'm talking here just about the lecture portion did was going to talk about your seminar portion of that academic Good evening everybody. It's great to see you As Trish said, I'm going to talk about the seminar portion You will all be in small classes 25 students each where you can take up these ideas Take up the ideas of how we look and analyze and understand and then we're going to add the dimension of written text reading and writing So we learn that looking at text holds much similarity to the act of viewing objects We analyze writing for meaning in similar ways that we analyze objects for meaning Considering always the context in which it was created So specifically in the seminar, we will explore the ways of reading and writing serves us at the academy and in art and design We will read a wide variety of forms such as art writing scholarly articles Memoir and theoretical and historical work to understand the art media and design that we are engaging with We will examine ways that we can fully interact with difficult writing We will do a variety of writing assignments including narrative pieces formal analyses inquiry-based essays and reviews As we practice these forms, we will always be conscious of how we are situating ourselves In our own writing and how our writing speaks to our audiences Thus the writing course is a process-based course with a rhetorical focus We teach writers to understand their own writing process to understand what accomplished writers do which is drafting conferencing reading and rereading and We teach Students to understand that all writing is rhetorical In other words, all writing makes an argument to a particular audience and is created to take action in the world Just as the images that Tris has shown you are created to take action in the world writing does the same thing We recognize that looking thinking writing and analyzing are critical skills in any discipline and any profession This academic course and its connection to your studio courses Provides the framework to develop you as cultural producers We believe that artists and designers don't just reflect their social moment. They make it Thus this course sets you up sets you students up to achieve this in critical and creative ways Thank you Thank you all and now I'd like to introduce Chelsea hug from Continuing studies who's our manager of operations and she's here to talk to you a little bit about a program that we have to help You transition to Emily Carr called the welcome lab Thanks, Jennifer I'm really excited to be here tonight to talk to you guys about a program called welcome lab Welcome lab is a relatively new program for us here at Emily Carr and it was really created To help students transition from where they were whether it be high school or elsewhere into art and design University education So it's a one-month program that runs in the month of August. So right prior to the start of foundation year It runs for the whole month Monday to Friday five days a week nine to four so it is an intensive program for the month of August and It's a through this program. You're able to gain three credits towards your foundation year So it's really set up to enable students to gain familiarity with both the academic portion of foundation as well as the studio While gaining familiarity with Emily Carr In its location and facilities prior to starting foundation year As you see everyone here is super supportive of you and your foundation year and and are really wonderful and teaching you a Lot of new things, but it is it can be quite overwhelming for students It's it's very new as you see it might be quite different than an education that you've had in the past So this program it was really built to help to students come here have a more Intimate experience in a small classroom with their instructors and really set them up to be ready in September to jump right into Foundation and all its some wonderful challenges and experiences So the program is as I mentioned it is bearing three credits and it's made up of two components Those components are an academic skill and this portion of welcome lab will help students to improve their both writing and reading of academic focused texts and materials and will focus on a vocabulary that is Very tied to art and design and the critique process as well The second portion is a studio component and it's called video essentials and through this course students will Create and work in the studio environment become familiar with There the idea of in-class discussion in-class critique the idea of making work speaking about it And and working in that collaborative environment And so this is really an ideal program for both students that are Coming in and maybe wanting to improve on some academic skills Or really just looking to have an experience where they can get started at Emily Carr a little bit early Get a head start and really move successfully into foundation Right away and be sort of ahead of the curve So we have information on the website if you're interested in the program the admission advisors can also speak to people If you are speak to people about the program if you're interested in coming to Emily Carr a little bit early and getting a head start on Everybody else. Thanks Thank You Chelsea. So we are almost To the part where you're gonna hear from well from our students, which will Give you a better understanding of the student experience From the ground But I do want to take a moment to Introduce you to our team in student services who are here with me tonight and in student services, we're here to help you reach your educational goals and We offer resources and programs to support your experience at Emily Carr We offer a range of supports to help make your transition to Emily Carr smooth and Some of the team in student services are here tonight Will also be available following the conclusion of our activities in the auditorium out in the atrium to answer Questions for you on a one-on-one basis so from recruitment and admissions and some of these people you've talked to along the way while you are applying or putting your portfolio together with With us here tonight are Kevin bird Kevin. Where are you? Back here. Okay. He's in the darkness all the way at the back Kevin bird Joni Taylor who's been a huge part of organizing tonight's event Thank You Joni for all your work and putting this together April Milne and Sam Barron is in the booth answering questions online. He's come out to wave very good From records registration and advising we have Denise Cordray Danielle Zenvleet Kimberley McKelvin Alex Fowler and Otilia Spantulescu who are all here and will support you through the the registration and advising journey that you will experience over the next few years of your studies From financial aid and awards to Reese Brian Polly Leo Carmen Chan are here and from counseling access and student development. We have Amy Keong Emma Smith Johnny Lu and Yes, very good. And is Heather still here Heather? No. Yes, you are there. You are very good Heather's still here. She hasn't got on the ferry just yet and Student Development Advisor Justine Gabias who's going to moderate our student panel momentarily so you'll hear more from her and finally last but not least Brenda Crabtree who's our Aboriginal program manager and who again will be available in the atrium But she has the best location on our current campus so be sure when you become a student to make your way to the Aboriginal gathering place and See the water. It's one of the only places On our campus presently where you can get a sense of where we are in Vancouver so I just want to take a moment and Remind you all that the acceptance Deadline is fast approaching next Friday, May 1st So if you haven't already had a chance to accept your offer, please do so Finally, Justine Gabias will come up now and introduce the outstanding Student panel we've assembled assembled for you tonight so you can hear firsthand about our wonderful students and their experiences at Emily Carr and You'll also have an opportunity at the end to ask questions of your own not only of our students But David and Susan Are here to also answer questions and we have portable microphones for you both Thank You Jennifer. Hello everybody and a second I get my karaoke song please Joking. Hi everybody. What a treat. I'm so excited to see all these fresh faces It's really wonderful every year to see not only the new students who or potential students But also all the support they Whether it's family Friends partners, so thank you for being here. This means a lot and it's so nice to get to see the people We're gonna hang out with next year My name is Justine I am the student development advisor, but I'm also a grad from Emily Carr So I graduated 2010 with a bachelor general fine arts. So for all you parents out there Yes, I am proof Right here that you can get a really awesome job after graduating from art school And there's actually a lot of us in student services who have graduated from Emily Carr and we just can't leave We just love it so much. So there you go so I'm really excited to present to you my wonderful panel of current students so from a variety of disciplines year levels and Corners of the globe so I'll let them introduce themselves and what we're gonna do is they're gonna introduce themselves I have some simple questions for them. So let's pretend we're in a living room and everybody's just chilling. It's great And so they're gonna talk to you about their experience and then afterwards if any of you have questions for them or For David Bogan or Susan Stewart, then you can ask them or for me. Maybe I don't know And then and then we'll be done. So you're almost there, but this is the fun part. Okay guys introduce yourselves Hi My name is Alia hijab evaded. I am Syrian-American student I moved to Vancouver just last September. So I'm like pretty new and I just finished my foundation year and I'm going into the animation program major I'm so ghetto. I'm I'm from southern Ontario I'm in the critical and cultural practices program and going into my fourth year Hello, everyone, my name is Joachim or Yokey for short and as most people know me I just finished my first year here and I'll be going into interaction design and I moved here from Calgary, Alberta Hi, everyone, I'm Joey and I just finished my foundation year and I'm going into industrial design I was born in Vancouver, but I grew up in Asia and I came back a couple years back just to finish schooling here Hi, everyone. I'm Denise. I was born and raised in Turkey and then I moved to Vancouver two years ago to attend Emily Carr I'm in animation Aren't they beautiful? I also want to point out How well dressed everybody is today. I was really impressed looking at people coming in like oh my god I feel like underdressed All right, so first question pretty General, but you know, maybe tough for some of you, but why did you decide to come to Emily Carr? I mean we'll start with you, Alia Well, I first learned about Emily Carr from a teacher I had and I was looking at universities in North America in general and she said that her husband had gotten Emily Carr and I looked it up and I really liked it and I mostly liked that it was a small university community Like I was looking for that in terms of like just how I learn It's like I find it more helpful when there's smaller classes and like the university is in General smaller and I also loved the idea of Vancouver in terms of what I want to go to Animation, there's lots of action here in like film and stuff. So that's what made me really interested in Emily Carr Three reasons the first one I'm the oldest of seven siblings and this is 3,000 kilometers away from them The second was a really good national portfolio day experience and that saved me quite a bit of the registration process The third reason being that they seemed way cooler than OCAD I would I would definitely agree with Alia that I was just looking for for a smaller university So I'd moved here from Alberta as I mentioned and I felt like I really just needed a change of scenery So the coast seemed like a good place to go and I was really looking for As opposed to a denser Cultural community really I wanted to find like my people. So I chose Emily Carr. That's why yeah for me, I've always wanted to come to Emily Carr and I actually transferred from another university and I wouldn't say I had a terrible experience But it just wasn't the right fit for me So I applied and I got accepted and after that like I cried when I got my letter I don't know some of you did hopefully not But yeah, once I got accepted I got Like this new confidence in myself knowing that I can actually do this. So I accepted the offer My university advisor was Canadian and the first university She ever talked to me about was Emily Carr and they had an animation program and Vancouver is pretty known for its animation industry. So this was the perfect fit for me Animation fans here Well represented Great awesome, and Alia was talking about class sizes and I'm sure you you know already Studio classes are capped at 18 students per instructor here. So those are really small wonderful You know like little Nucleus so you can have like great one-on-one time with your instructor. You can get to know your classmates very well So that's a really big plus. That's what I I really like that when I was a student here So keep that in mind. All right, so next questions and I talked about the past Let's talk about the present. So how are things now like how is your experience right now? So you we've got three Students who just finished their first year and then we've got Sal's going fourth year and Dennis in third year So maybe we'll start with Sal like he's you know, he's our senior here. He's a He's got seniority how well you start I'm pretty sure Yoki's older than me, too I I've I've had a really interesting experience. I think because of the major I chose the critical and cultural practices major I think Destroys every other major at this school and like the range of disciplines I can I can jump into and play around with So I've really tried to make an effort to to jump all around the school I haven't played as much in design as I like to and that might be the focus of my fourth year But it's it's been a really interesting time working with the curriculum that's been set out for students here Especially with the the unexpected For some unexpected Power that comes from the academic side of this school and just how much it can affect Not only the work you're producing but your awareness of your of your social and political positions at all times Wow, that was a great answer. I Want to go back to school and take your program Denise you're going to third year. How's your experience so far? Yeah, it's been great. I I had a short foundation year because I had some transfer credits So I had the opportunity to jump right into my major But Once you get into your major, I don't know if this is about the next question if I'm reading this But I allow you to speak of this now. Okay So It's it's really great to be able to connect with like-minded people in your own major, but you kind of lose sight of What's happening in other areas? So Yeah, I'm right now I'm I've really enjoyed my own major, but now I'm trying to connect with the other people as well Animations very it's a lot of work But you know what apart from the cafeteria and the original gathering place the animation lab is the only place you can see the sea There you go. That's an incentive. Yeah, so that's why you guys never come out. No, we've got a beautiful bridge view. So nice Oh, yeah, how about you? How's your first year been? It was really wild but in like a great way like because I moved here from the Middle East So it's a huge change. Not only that. I don't I didn't have any family here. I didn't know anybody I just decided to pursue like my The career that I wanted and I think that I loved foundation year a lot because of what you've been talking about meeting other people like I have a friend who really is really into Like calligraphy and stuff and I never thought that was something that was so like people get really into it and like Fonts like you can talk about fonts all day And like that some people that's just like a font but like that's interesting It's awesome to meet people who have their niche and they're really passionate about it and being around everyone else Who's really passionate about their thing and that's just really inspiring and one thing that I take a lot from I've taken a lot from for my foundation year Yoki, how about you? Hmm Well as so mentioned I am a little bit older than he is but so as a result of that I mean I've had a little bit of a different Different experience in the school compared to many people who are coming in fresh out of high school so Speaking to anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation. I think Having gotten involved with the Emily Carr Students Union and any sort of other committees or social events or things of that nature has really helped me to Connect with a lot of the people within the school that I otherwise wouldn't have it's it's really easy to try and Don't know feel a little bit like you've outgrown a certain experience, but It's been really good to Try and share what I've learned and still participate in as many ways as possible So that's been a great avenue for me, and I would encourage Even younger students to get involved as much as they can Get involved. That's a good one get involved in your community. We need people like these guys We need a fresh batch. So you know when you start get involved in the awesome committee Go see the Students Union come see me. I'll put you to work You know, I'll find you some things to do. I always have free food in my office. So that's a that's all you know, I kind of like That's how I get them in my office All right, and Joey, how about you? Yeah? I guess I kind of have a similar situation is you'll key because I was older when I came into Emily Carr, but I found that it wasn't as hard as I thought to meet people and make friends because everybody is honestly so friendly and accepting and With a smaller school like you do get a more personal experience with everybody And yeah, I just suggest everyone to volunteer for Student Union We also get a lot of free stuff. So that's a big incentive and Yeah, everyone's just great That's old people can have fun, right? Yeah, not all the young people Okay, great. So that was the present part. So now moving on to the future So these guys so do you guys have any advice anything anything you wish you had known before you started anything, you know, you You know, you any any kind of little tips little secrets You want to reveal? Alia and see the wheels turn I'd say that one thing that I wish that I knew like like one thing that I think is really important is that You it's there's like an aggressive amount of change that's going to be happening Like so many things are going on like so many things are happening and it can be really overwhelming You can be really scared especially kind of when it comes to like how you make art like especially because I just came out of high school So I had a very like high school like idea of like what is art and how you make it and all that's just gonna be like Throughout the window, you're gonna learn everything new. It's gonna be totally different Everything's gonna be you're gonna be confused and you're gonna be angry sometimes because Everything you've learned up to this point is somewhat Not complete But that's also really like empowering because it's a whole all about like a fresh start So I think that accepting this change with like aggressive positivity is Just like say to yourself, I'm gonna be okay, and you're gonna be okay. So I'd say that So I have I have one piece of advice for inside your Your your education and then also community outside of it Inside of your education. I can highly advise that no matter how much you think, you know walking into Emily Carr Your arrogance will not serve you well. I Had a really strong high school education. It was incredibly formally powerful and it was an intense four years of art history as well And I came in thinking I know what I'm doing And learn the hard way that I really did not And it's it's been a very humbling experience my past three years here I've I've been put into in situations where yes, sure I could breeze through an assignment quickly, but I've also been put into incredible ethical dilemmas via Little assignments and things like that as well outside of it. The getting involved is actually incredibly important. I Sit on the board of Governors right now. I sit on the board of Directors for the Student Union as well And it's given me an incredible understanding not only of these schools operations But why curriculum it is is the way it is why it's evolved into what it is I've had a lot of questions answered just by attending a great deal of the meetings about things like academic planning and their priorities and Being involved in these things and I'm sure you'll key can actually expand on this quite a bit as well Is is an incredible and empowering experience? Yeah, certainly would suck in that point What I would like to add to that though is that Don't forget that the staff and faculty are here to help you So if you ever feel stuck in any way even if it's just for the smallest reason Don't be afraid to ask questions. They will more than likely be willing to support you in whatever way that you need And also your your classmates as well If you need assistance by all means Just ask and even if people that you're that you don't know who are in second third or fourth year Don't be afraid to make yourself vulnerable in that way Because pretty much always it turns out for the better so take that chance when you need it Okay, I guess I have two pieces of advice the first is to even though foundation year is a time for you to Figure out what you want to do an experiment Do your best to take it seriously because your grades really matter, especially when you're trying to get into a more competitive Departments such as design Just work hard and do your best But still have fun and then my second piece of advice is if you're moving to Vancouver for There's four years here. I would suggest moving close to a Sky train station and preferably in the city of Vancouver because I used to live Around the low heat town center area it was border of Burnaby and Coquitlam. It took me an hour to get to school and It was terrible. I'm not gonna lie It really takes a lot out of you when you have to travel back and forth Especially when you have these big projects that you're carrying so really do you try to find a place that's close to a sky train? like close to Vancouver or even like Anywhere along a bus route that would really help a lot. Yeah two pieces of advice So first Try to take as many different classes as you can in foundation year and be open to new stuff because when you go into your major You're probably not gonna be able to do that I wish I experimented more in foundation year and second is Get to know people if you're introverted Just pretend you're an extrovert and go out there introduce yourself to other people My friends volunteer if you have a job opportunity coming up on campus do that Just try to be as social as we can because one of the reasons you're coming to our school is connections and meeting people So yeah, take advantage of that Let yourself be known so then you can be on this panel next year. I'll pick you Okay, so now time for questions so that you've heard from the students you you know, you know what their departments are What their stories are so we're gonna take questions. We have a microphone. April's gonna walk around with the microphone So if you have a question raise your hand April will go see you It's very important that you wait for the microphone to get to you. It's so much fun holding a microphone I love it so much So please wait for the microphone because if you don't speak in the microphone the live stream is just gonna be like crickets So here we have a question right there. So let's start break the ice Yeah Okay, I'm I'm planning to go into interaction design except I was wondering if it's possible to take classes outside of That field because as far as I'm I understand UI design is to be very isolationist It's wondering if it could take classes in that's a graphic design or other things David you Dr. Bogan, I don't are you are we supposed to get Susan and Susan Stewart dr. Bogan so When when you're looking at the different programs one of the things about the design area is that it emphasizes the Relationship between the different design disciplines if you go on the website and you look at the way the the major lays out Not only are you doing core courses in your field like interaction design or communication design? But you have opportunities for electives within the design area. So Unlike Unlike many other institutions where we really they really track people in the different design areas You have those core studios But you also have thematic electives that are shared across the design areas and the opportunity to use additional credits In other areas. I think you really do have to look at and the students can probably speak to this There are some programs that are more focused and require more time in the major animation would be one I think you could confirm That that really does require a lot of time Focused on the major but in any of these fields You still have a number of electives that you can do in other areas as well as academic courses that you do across the curriculum More questions. Oh, oh April that's gonna be tough right in the middle Just throw it Have a little musical interlude while the microphone gets passed. Oh like a teamwork. Yes, awesome I was just wondering if there's any like studio space or any space for you to work At the university or is it kind of just on yourself to work in your living place or find it yourself? Well There are a couple of different places that you can work depending on what you're working on There are computer labs if you need to edit or animate or anything like that And there's also like a studio area for painting as well It's like a small little space But it people have lots of stuff in there and people get some like painting and drawing done And there's also the shop that people tend to work in so there is not like I don't think there's a lot of space But there's definitely spaces that if you feel that you can't work at home There are opportunities I think so I want to add to that In fourth year you get your own studio space here Before that it depends on where you are as well like if you're in printmaking odds are you don't have a printing press at home? So all your work will be done in the studio there And they give you they give you space for storage and things like that. Yeah, especially for foundation year We do have designated areas just for people to kind of gather get to know each other There's especially the M lab, which is just reserved for foundation students. So it's a cool place to get to know people too Also, the school is open until 11 p.m. So there's plenty of time to do your work Other questions up right at the front easy access April. Yeah What's the typical course load of a foundation student and how much time should I expect to be spending on campus? Just on a weekly basis There are days I have come in at like 7 30 in the morning and left at 1 a.m During the extended hours Well, I mean again it depends on like what what you're doing exactly I'd say for the The studio like the media and like the main ones like the media class the visual arts and design ones It just depends on you and what you do But I mean there are there are times like especially to like during the final projects and like exams coming where people stay till till late But it's all it all depends on you and your time management and how you Work and how you function. Yeah, I just want to add to that. It really it amounts to If you want to be a B student or an A student So if if you really want to get the best grades and put in the effort then Yeah, you would spend most of your time here pretty much But I mean if you're if you're fine with doing less. Yeah, you could go home, but I mean it's a pretty cool place so Yeah, it is going to seem like a lot at first especially for this first semester Because you will have 15 credits worth of classes. So six for the core six for the Humanities and then three for a CP. So there are different workloads depending on the class and your instructor So it really depends also on How much time it takes for you to do those things as well, so it really depends on the person. Yeah Then is do you know good places to crash on campus work and work in one sleep between classes? Oh the media There's oh, she knows she has some lined up And there's a nice TV you can order pizza Why would you want to leave you've got everything here? Oh, there's also a room where you can nap in as well. Oh, yeah You have to be in the know you have to know where it is Any more questions? No question. Oh There you go April in terms of living conditions since Emily card doesn't really have their own designated sleeping or housing areas How do you guys help students find their? Living areas right that would be me Yeah, we do have a housing assistant who's gonna work this summer. So oh by the way We have a welcome guide that's now up and running. So we have a beautiful welcome guide online with lots of information about What you should do now what you should prepare and then orientation activities and all that good stuff So we're gonna give you a link to that but for housing Students typically will find their own apartments. We can help with that whether it's like directing to the Good websites or like going through ads with them or talking about neighborhoods if you're not familiar with the neighborhoods because that's a big Obstacle like when you don't know the city at all. It's like where like where to start so we can help you with that There's also the option of doing homestay. I know a lot of students will go especially international students Homestay is really great. If you don't mind living in somebody else's house You basically get a room in a family in a family house, but it's really great because somebody else finds it for you So you don't have to pound the pavement and knock on doors and visit apartments. Somebody will place you So that's a good option for and you can just do it for a semester or for half a semester for however long It's a nice way to you know Just to not have to worry about that when you're coming in And then you can do your search while you're here and find friends and look for roommates and all that stuff but but yeah, we do have the housing assistant we have a housing website and we and It's hard. It's not fun finding housing. We've all done it. It sucks But you know people always end up finding something and then if you have problems We can help you with that too. If like the place you find is no good. We can help you with that so You know start looking I would say now start looking at neighborhood start looking at the places you would want to live So that's gonna help a lot. It's gonna help kind of focus your search So that's a good thing to do in the summer and the the bulk of your search will happen probably if you're moving here Are you moving here from? from a different city or He's just wondering in case just for the live stream. I just gotta say that So What was I saying? Yeah, look at the neighborhoods and then the yeah the bulk of your search will happen probably in July like starting June maybe late June July because how it works typically is People give their notice one month in advance. So apartments typically Become available a month ahead. So people will give their notice in July if they're moving on July 1st They're moving out on August 1st So keeping that in mind you can't you can't start looking now But the bulk of the search will happen later and then we'll have a housing assistant then and I'll be there too and we can Help you because we all want you to have a roof over your head Because you can't because the clue the school closes at night. So you can't live here There are ways around that Didn't hear that More questions Does Emily Carr offer any job opportunities for first-year students Anybody here work on campus I do I don't quite remember what I did foundation here though. Oh, right Okay, I do remember I was Taking notes during the lectures during the artist or lectures actually for the disability services So that's an option. There are a lot of student minister opportunities on campus Right now I'm working at the mock-up studio but I've worked on National portfolio day and sometimes there will be Senate elections. I will Keep the ballots Yeah, there are a lot of opportunities just keep an eye out The the students and you'll have a chance in your foundation here to be elected to a position there There's a small stipend that comes with with working for the board of directors there But it not nearly enough to pay your rent, but it's it's something in its handy And typically if you get a job on campus is there are some like facilities will hire the technicians will hire The audio visual department will hire so the moment you get a job that leads to more jobs So if people know you as a reliable worker, then they'll they'll you know hunt you down to offer you more work So you start you'll get a few hours here and there, but then after that the the offers will will come rolling in More questions. Oh one over there Hi First question, can I ask two questions me? Two questions. Oh Can she yeah, yeah, okay. Okay. So first one is I was looking searching up like about the school and I saw like Course selections like course listing takes online or something and I just I was just wondering if I can get like tips on like to get better courses for like Setting up better time tables like because you guys have all done it at least once so I was just Wondering if I can get any like tips or like Yeah Tips for course selection Course listing Okay for the first semester you won't really get to choose I guess the time you just rank which class which media or which core you'd like From one to three and then you'll be placed hopefully in number one or two in the next semester and Then everybody has to take the same humanities course and everybody has to take a CP So those are done for you and then in the spring semester That's when things get tough because that's when you have to get up. That's probably 6 30 or 6 in the morning and Wait until registration opens at like seven, right and then press the button You you have time to pre-select all your courses kind of on a wish list And then when you press that button like it's up to the system to choose the courses and whatever you get is normally What you're kind of Going to be in for the semester But you there's also the option of doing a wait list afterwards some people might choose to drop out of courses But the only real tip to get the courses that you want is to wake up early and to watch the clock Yeah So you want to it's an art. It's a science Denise did you have something to add to that? Oh, yeah, you want a good internet connection because the school's not open until eight It's all in the details guys I've been through it six times now registration is the most painful piece of the beginning of the semester. I you You're all being blessed with the fact you don't have to register for your your first semester We had to and when I was as a young man I But it when it comes to things like managing a timetable it really depends on on what you're managing around like I'm I'm working two jobs one of them's a night job. So I try to avoid jumping into classes that started 830 in the morning So that's that's gonna be Your own business and we have academic advisors On campus that you can talk to if you if you're wondering which courses to select or you know What times work best or what not you can go talk to them make an appointment and they're super helpful and also just one more quick question about professors and faculties like For having a class like with a very small size you can you said you can have more Conversed one-on-one conversation with those Professors like but I was just wondering do they like hang around afternoon like Later so you can like grab them So you want to talk to your teachers Talk to teachers Outside of class. Yeah Maybe Susan can answer that here. You can have my microphone. I can let go of it for like five minutes. Thank you Yes, no, they're not gonna hang around in the afternoon. They're probably teaching another class Or doing their work, but they do every professor has office hours and they post those that on your course syllabus So you'll know exactly when and a lot of the professors will say By appointment on their office hours and all the professors will see you if you request to see them You just have to arrange it so you can email them or talk to them after class and They will do that Yeah, that's a good tip office hours Go meet your teachers Take the time to go meet them. They're there sitting in their office They're waiting for you and that's a great way if they know you and you know them That's just gonna make your experience even better in the class. So take advantage of your of those office hours for sure Any other questions? On that note about office hours some your teachers like don't don't assume your teachers hate you Some of them have actually organized their offices in a way that's that's really welcoming for example Trish Kelly who came up and does the lectures I haven't been in her office for a while But when I was in there in in a second year of foundation year her books had been had been Organized by color so you had something to look at Staff that will be on hand out there and I just want to thank you all and thanks especially to our students who You know, they're the reason we all come to work every day and we get to learn so much from all of you, so thank you so much So if we head out into the atrium, there'll be some tables there and you can ask staff or any of us questions and I just want to also say that Once you accept your offer, you'll receive another Information email with links to the welcome guide and information about your registration and what the next steps are over the summer months Thank you all so so much for coming and we look forward to seeing you here In September have a great night