Last week, I walked out of my alternative photographic processes class with a knot of frustration in my brain. Our professor had just informed our small class that we had begun to run out of chemicals and printing paper required as part of our final, and that in order to finish it, we would have to split the cost and pool resources – a prospect which would cost each of us a large and unexpected amount of money.

This knot grew bigger and tighter as I walked down Columbus Avenue, mentally reviewing the times the College of Arts, Media and Design (CAMD) had sprung sudden costs or been unable to provide the needed facilities or equipment, the sparkly new Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex taunting me as I passed by.

Upon arriving home, I did what any Northeastern student would naturally do at a time they were frustrated with the school: I took to the NU Meme Collective Facebook group. I impulsively wrote a serious and lengthy (albeit first-draft) passage outlining my grievances and asking for opinions on the matter of opening up a dialogue with the school administration, something I figured would be written off or deleted by moderators, but nonetheless was off my chest.

To my surprise, the post quickly garnered a swathe of comments from people across all majors, resulting in more than 500 direct reactions and more than 50 lengthy comments, not including the many reply threads. Plenty of those outside CAMD seemed to think it was simply whining, though the majority certainly could relate within their own disciplines, and those within CAMD seemed to have an overwhelming support for the subject. Comments quickly went from quips to paragraphs, and discourse was rampant. I began to receive dozens of messages—even one from a professor and several from alumni and Student Government Association members—supporting the creation of a “reform collective.”

So, I took action, quickly throwing together a Facebook group titled “CAMD Reform Collective” to see if people were serious, and they were. The group garnered more than 100 members overnight and is still growing. Discussion exploded into numerous personal accounts of very real issues within CAMD, including a consistently leaking Ryder Studio Lab, lack of class availability resulting in undesired extended attendance, outdated facilities contradicting the mantra of “wide-range, cutting-edge” resources and lack of facility availability for students.

The most often-cited desires that students voiced were adequate printing facilities, increased music practice space, places to showcase work on campus, general funding and above all, fixing the lack of a relationship between administrators and students, which would foster school spirit and a feeling of belonging within the school.

What I came to find from all this was that many CAMD students, like myself, felt cheated out of a proper education within their disciplines due to lack of facilities and funding while simultaneously feeling trapped due to accrued debt and (ironically) by the opportunities and financial aid Northeastern as an institution provides. Other students outside of CAMD seem to feel the same, and it has quickly become clear that there is a prevalent issue across this school concerning misappropriation of funds that absolutely must be addressed within a direct open dialogue between students and administration.

The CAMD Reform Collective is currently in its grassroots and plans on pushing reasonably for this – our focus is to help our college grow versus simply complaining. However, I urge students in other disciplines to speak up and organize if they feel something is hindering their ability to attain a higher education. The worst that can happen is that nothing will change.

– Robert Smith is a sophomore studio art major. He was photo editor at The Huntington News during the spring 2016 semester.