Disclaimer: Any accusatory written in this article are alleged; not a confirmation or validation of Pace University and its choices.  

The Digital Cinema and Filmmaking major is arguably the most intricate major at Pace. It is part of the Dyson College of Arts and Science under the MCVA department on the Pleasantville campus, and is ranked as the third-best film program in New York state. This is all made possible by the amazing professors and talented students, as well as the fortune of having equipment right on campus, which saves students a significant amount of money when filming. Unfortunately, there have been many crackdowns on what students can and cannot do that pertains to filming on campus.  

Many current underclassmen and transfers have expressed how they chose Pace’s DCF major specifically because they allowed their students to take out the department’s prestigious equipment to film their own personal projects, which is no longer the case. Some students have even gone on to say that they feel like they can learn so much more when it is their own projects they are navigating through. Students have also expressed they have a better time learning when navigating their own personal projects. There is a frustration among these students that they cannot do what was promised to them. 

This is a direct result of the budget cuts, where it is implied that now the MCVA department is no longer financially able to replace any broken equipment, as to not take any risks. What is more worrisome, is that if equipment breaks during a class, that class loses that equipment until the department has the necessary funds to replace it. So if a class loses a camera, that camera is lost. The objective of letting students use the equipment was to encourage students to practice on their own, especially since they will have to do their own independent films in their senior year for the Directing capstone class. 

We reached out to the MCVA department for comment, but did not receive a response. 

You may have noticed the banner that was hung up on Alumni Hall this past August. It bears no significance, other than promotional perks. In other words, it does not benefit current students, but rather shows off to other schools and future students. This year, Pace University’s Pleasantville campus’s freshman attendance soared 12%, setting a record high. Perhaps they think keeping the ball up with promotional signage will secure this trend. However, this only makes many students feel as if the university cares about funding for the quantity of students over the quality of the education current students are receiving. 

With the banner in mind, alleged numbers have emerged that either the banner on the Pleasantville campus alone, or both the Pleasantville and NYC banners combined, tally to around $25,000. Though this is not officially confirmed, it goes without saying that the banner was definitely a large expense for the university. It is strange to assume that a student would want to enroll solely because of a piece of promotional material or art.  

 It feels like false advertising to push this narrative out, making students spend thousands in tuition to attend, and then cut the budget for filming. It is a frustrating outcome for film students, who now feel limited and can not let their creativity run wild. They are now restricted to just writing scripts in comparison to other schools in the state that allow for a multitude of equipment to be reserved and checked out.  

However, DCF students have more than just the budget cuts to look out for. Last spring semester, many directing students had their productions shut down by Pace security, deeming the campus a “violence-free” zone. So, not only are students not allowed to take out equipment unless it’s strictly for a class project, but they also cannot film certain types of scenes, such as fight scenes, arguments, and other similar scenes, making this an “unsafe environment.” Many students and faculty are up in arms about this.  

It is common for films to involve action and violence, so how are students supposed to learn the skills to produce films that fit the industry standard when they are restricted by security? These restrictions will eventually hold a limit against what students can learn, which at the end of the day could limit a job opening for an alumnus.  

Donovann Smit, DCF major’s class of 2025, is a prime example of the negative effects that resulted last year from budget cuts and campus security. He made a statement for the Pace Chronicle: 

“While working on my senior directing project, myself and other students I ran into many obstacles. Particularly when it came to security and what the campus allowed. My film involved choreographed fight scenes, which, when I spoke to the head of the Pleasantville security a year before, they said my project was acceptable as long as I made sure everyone was safe, which I ensured them by sharing my plan to keep my cast and crew safe. Then, once it came time for me to work on my film project, the head of security changed, and they did not approve my project even though they knew of how many safety precautions I was taking. The main issue was that they told me that they denied my project less than 24 hours before I was supposed to start filming. This caused great stress on my cast and crew, and especially myself, as I had to figure out a new plan. Luckily, I had great connections who were able to help me complete my filming on schedule. This meant, though, that I had to film off campus, which could have caused so many other issues if I had not gotten approval from those places. My original intent was to film on campus because, as a student, I did not have a large budget to pay for outside filming locations; the areas on campus that I wanted to film at were very secluded, and I knew that it would be much safer to film on campus than if I were to go somewhere else.  

The sad reality for now and the future of film projects at Pace University is that these “new restrictions that the campus put in place will affect the creativity and resources of future student filmmakers. It’s going to limit what can be written or produced, and even worse, students may avoid or ignore these restrictions and causing more harm to themselves and the people working with them. I will admit, it crossed my mind to just not inform the campus, nor security, nor my professors of what I was going to be filming for fear of them completely shutting down my production, even though all of the actions in my film were done before by past students, as well as I made sure to take every safety precaution I could.  

Overall, I agree that the campus has a right to keep their students and faculty safe, but by completely denying any form of action and conflict in student productions, it is only going to make students go behind the film department’s and security’s backs and possibly cause harm to themselves or others. Instead, security and the film department should work together so that the campus stays safe and the students have creative freedom to make the films they want to make.” 

It is up to film students to fight for creativity on campus and for security to make the effort to satisfy both sides. Yes, students need to be safe, but it is also important for students to make the most out of what they are paying thousands of dollars for each year.  

With budget cuts happening on campus, especially affecting the DCF major, it is unfair to advertise to students things they can do within their major, just for the budget cuts and other regulations to limit it. As students, we are paying for our education. It is wrong if the money that we are paying is being allocated to promotional materials instead things that service experience.  

If these budget cuts on the MCVA department have affected classes that students look forward to taking, it is something that should not be taken lightly. Classes at Pace, especially MCVA classes, are very hands-on, which includes making a whole film to writing a PR statement, all the way to writing your own newscast. To remove the hands-on aspect of the classes is to remove a fundamental piece that makes the classes educational and fun. Pace University is #1 in the nation for experiential learning; these crackdowns are what’s causing deep cuts in the experiential learning we were all advertised in high school.  

Ultimately, action must be taken to ensure creative freedom is once again restored to Pace University’s film students, allowing for a higher budget to be allocated to the department, equipment to be rented out for personal projects, and for security restrictions to lessen. Change must be made.