Editors’ note: Some sources in this article have chosen to remain anonymous. City on a Hill Press has verified the identities of all such sources.

Many film and digital media majors at UC Santa Cruz enter with the prospect of one day producing their own movie, but are not always granted the opportunity to do so before graduating. Out of the 78 film classes currently listed in UCSC’s catalog, only three upper-division courses, which are restricted to those of senior standing, offer undergraduates that chance.

Due to limited enrollment and a lack of staffing, the department can no longer guarantee these classes.

“[The film major] is not in the forefront of the university’s thoughts,” said Mia Keeley, a fourth-year film and digital media and feminist studies double major. “It takes all the students complaining to even have these classes … I’m here paying for college for a film degree and I haven’t really been able to work with film equipment in my classes.”

UCSC’s budget deficit has continued its gradual burn, and those involved in digital studies have felt the heat rising. Up until an email announcement on Nov. 17, film students and faculty were told FILM 196A, “Senior Project in Narrative Production,” would reduce offerings from year-round to single quarter, with only 20 enrollment spaces available.

Although the board has recently announced plans to reintroduce the course this spring, the decision feels like a diffusion mechanism to many.

“I don’t think that [the administration] genuinely cares,” Keeley said. “I feel like it’s a cover up to make things seem better, but the problem’s not really fixed.” 

The major has already endured several hits, from professors stepping down to pathways being closed. In 2021, the isolated production concentration was altered to include a heavy critical practice element. Prior to this change, the academic plan was primarily intended for students interested in production. As a branch off of the general film major, the program allocated this niche group with ample space to develop their technical skills.

Now, the concentrations of critical theory and creative production studies are combined, which means the original focus is dissolved and a much larger pool of undergraduates has to compete for classes in their specific plans. 

“I remember when I got in [to UCSC] I was like, ‘Okay this is a great program, I’m going to do film,’ but it feels as if it’s slowly dying out,” Keeley stated. “I just want to be able to hold a camera in my classes.”

A faculty member, who chose to stay anonymous, also expressed their thoughts on these cuts.

“We just got a letter today that [the administration] wants us to increase our enrollment,” the faculty member said. “I’m like, ‘We don’t even have the facilities to handle that.’ If I was a student, I’d be really pissed off.”

Film courses are often offered in intimate class settings. However, due to substantially reduced budgets, the small-scale setting is less viable. 

“You can pull off a 30 to 40 person production course, but past that point, you start losing the ability to provide adequate instruction,” the faculty member continued. “When you’re up above the dean level, you’re not really thinking about the practicality of instruction.”

Lecturers are still figuring out how to best help students with these issues, especially amid a hiring freeze. 

“We’ve been told as a department that we can’t hire permanent lecturers, we can’t hire new faculty, we can barely hire staff,” the faculty member expressed. “We can’t do anything, and then on top of that we’re being asked to increase our enrollment numbers. We are proverbially handcuffed.” 

Without the ability to hire new instructors, current film professors are unable to provide adequate support to incoming and continuing undergraduates. In turn, film students are left to grapple with a budget deficit they had no part in. Mia Keeley shared how this disconnect feels.

“I want to make something that’s for me, and shows what I can do with everything surrounding film,” she said. “It’s just really disappointing that it’s not a possibility.”