Last week, The City College of New York rolled out their class registration dates for students for the next semesters. It was one of those weeks where people are filled with high anxiety (those others weeks are midterms and finals). While some are lucky to grab their intended classes, others have failed.

For graphic design students, I was one of the others. I was set to a later date because I had fewer credits than others. I prepared and wrote down a list of classes I need to take and made sure my schedule looked good and manageable. When the registration week came, two of the classes I needed were filled up. I had to look for classes I needed for my major, so I didn't feel behind. However, some of the courses had few classes available. In one course, the one 9am class I need was already filled up. There was another option, but it was the worst choice that the course had given. It was a night class from 6:15pm to 9:05pm with a questionable professor. I had no choice but to keep a spot. Another class I wanted to take was an elective for my major, but only one class was available for that course, and it was highly popular. It got filled up the first day registration day opened.

As a result, I emailed both professors asking for permission to do an overtally (being in the class despite maximum), and I pretty much begged in a polite manner. I only got one response back, and fortunately, it was the 9 AM class professor. She gave me permission, and I was able to avoid the night class since I live quite a distance away from campus. I've become one of the lucky ones. I am sorry to those that did not achieve their intended classes.

However, talking about the graphic design programs at The City College of New York, it is quite disturbing to see that there is an extremely limited quantity of classes available for us, graphic design students. I am sure that you feel the same way for your programs/majors, and you can relate easily. Last semester, there were some budget cuts happening in the college, and a good handful of design professors left. It is extremely disappointing that an institution is failing to meet the students' standards of education. In other words, it is the college administration that is disrupting students' chances of graduating on time, financial situations, and willingness to learn and attend classes.

There is one class I need to take for my major, but it is only given during the Spring semester. I am taking the pre-requisite for that particular class in the Spring semester, and I cannot get permission to take both at the same time. Therefore, I have to wait for Spring 2018 to take that class, which is my intended graduation time. Because I am in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program, I wanted to dedicate my Spring 2018 solely on my thesis work, but it seems I might have to juggle. It is also my fault on my end because I should have known this, and I would have taken some classes for my major early. Oh well, another challenge up ahead.

Because there are a good amount of motivated graphic design students at The City College of New York, which is not really a prestigious art school at all compared to Pratt, School of Visual Arts, or Rhode Island School of Design, it is important that the institution pours in some budget to help the graphic design programs grow.

Look around you. You see posters, billboards, advertisements about beds and pillows in the train stations, Starbucks logos, Adidas logos, whatever. None of that would have happened if it wasn't for graphic designers. Just imagine a world without posters, logos, graphics, etc. That is basically saying imagine a world without Starbucks, McDonald's, Kylie Jenner makeup, etc. We, as graphic designers, give identity to brands, businesses, and people. We, in a sense, are social psychologists. When we design, we think of how or what people tend to look at or for. What are the social trends of today? How will this design build this company? You and I are drawn into good design, which makes us want it. Graphic design has been one of the strong cores of shaping history. Propaganda and advertisements are graphic design-based. The only way graphic designers fall is if people stop looking and buying. After all, " good design is good business." Without good design, there will be no business.

1. We Need More Graphic Designers From CCNY In The World

If CCNY pours some money into the graphic design program, there may be an increase in graphic designers from CCNY in the world. More classes will open up, meaning many students may graduate on time or early to contribute and change the world from what they learned at college. These graphic designers can help start businesses. They can also give a visual voice in society to people who are silenced. They can branch from being political to business to science and many more. They will be able to do these things if the program has more budget.

2. CCNY Could Emerge As A Top Graphic Design College

CCNY is generally known for science and engineering. However, overall, the college has lost its prestige over the years. Like I said, we don't have the prestige similar to SVA or RISD, but with an increased budget to the program, bit by bit, it can grow into one of the top colleges with a great graphic design program. It can attract more young creative designers to take the program and can revamp the reputation of CCNY for the time being.

3. More Awesome Course Options Such As UX/UI Design

More budget could lead to new course options for graphic designers to learn. There could be coding classes or technology product design. For the Spring semester, they brought UX/UI-based class (User Experience/User Interface) as one of the options. I have not seen it in previous semesters, so I believe it is a new course. If not, they brought it back. UX/UI design is important because we live in the age of technology and social media. Without UX/UI design, you would not have Instagram or Snapchat or any applications you are currently using. Pour some budget, so we can make the apps you want!

4. We Make Boring Pretty And Eye-Capturing

A simple concept can come alive. We can create characteristics for bland messages or advertisements in order to pop out. For example, a simple white flier with black text will get you nowhere because it is boring. However, a graphic designer can jazz it up and can draw people's attention. We have to ability to control the way people think, feel, or change. You don't want a hallway filled with white fliers. People will just zoom past them. You want something so simple to stand out. However, printing, paper, and ink are expensive. Not all paper is equal, and not all ink is the same. If we have more budget, we can get easier access for more printing, more paper of different kinds, and more ink.

5. You Need Us Sooner Or Later

In a way, we work behind the scenes. You need us (now or in the future) to make your posters, T-shirts, graphics, and books for aesthetics and to capture people's eyes. You need us to make your silent voice heard by having it visually appealing and reproduced all around, so others can get your message. You need us (in the future) to fix the terrible CUNYFirst system (because graphic designers also know how to design websites). You need us when you want to start your business, and you want a logo and/or identity. You know where we are (Compton Building). Something cannot grow if it doesn't have an identity, and we can help and provide you with one. If we have less budget, we will decrease in size until there are few graphic designers in the program. After that, we will be gone, and you won't know any graphic designer to work with.