OCAD MENTAL CASE, OPINIONS?
What do you guys think of this?
So Sara Dymand wants to change the name of our school.
While still in about a few Million dollars worth of debt for the last Branding and the building. My opinion is that she basically wants to see how much she can get away with, and we will soon be graduates of the Sara Dymand University of Imagination and Wonder, or the Coca Cola University of design turds.
I don't know maybe I just want the name on my degree to stay the same.
The link is to an article in the Star that gives a completely untrue justification for it.
Apparently there will be a "public" meeting about in the next couple weeks, does anyone want to go?
I'll get the details soon, or maybe anyone else has heard.
7 comments:
that sounds like the worst idea ever. why change it?
i will go probs.
i read about this on the alum website, and got an email about it as well.
fart and design'ers in toronto -- please go and fight this. i don't feel like an email does justice.
if ANYTHING, they should change it back to OCA, the way it was before OCAD. Or maybe they can call it the Village Idiot University, or UCMM (university close to much music). Both of those are fine.
Thanks for the link emma, i hadn't heard about this.
People are *finally* losing the OCA and calling it OCAD and now we're going to go and change it again. (maybe Prince was on to something, "The School Formerly Known As...", "The School")
Although I also feel like it would be to our advantage to have the name stay the same, it is also a pretty valid point that in Canada colleges don't receive the same recognition/prestidge as universities. Since OCAD is now a university it would make sense to reflect that in its name.
Personally I also feel that on an international level Toronto has more weight that Ontario.
I like the NSCAD University idea. Perhaps OCAD University would work. Although if the whole point is to get rid of the 'College' (and maybe 'Ontario') it really is kind of a clumsy alternative. I can see how it would have worked for NSCAD because it likely appeased the most people by giving them a little of what they want--you get the 'old school' PLUS 'University'. Kind of like design by committee.
Having said that I'm not sure what any good solutions would be.
with Toronto,
TADU
TUAD
TDAU
with Ontario,
OUAD
UADO
UDAO
:(
Perhaps we need to take a page from NYC and incorporate more than just the first initial of the words used. (SoHo, NoHo, TriBeCa, ...) (interesting side link here)
Or--ADUSMLaCBNSTAFRoC
"Art and Design University that is Still More Like a College Because we have No Sports Teams, Athletic Facilities, Residences or Cafeterias."
UCMM would quickly become "You Cum"
WTF???
I'm so in !!!!!
my fave name option are
UCMM (university close to much music). and ADUSMLaCBNSTAFRoC
Ha ha good one Joe.
i kind of thik that OCAD University is the natural choice, but at the sametime that really arbitrarily changes OCAD from being an acronum into being a word.
and what bothers me is this focus on a label in general who really gives a fuck what it's called unless you're trying to ad bells and whistles to a sinking ship. Isn't this like the last ditch effort of any fallen empire is to try and change it and build something completely out of it's means.
I don't think renaming the school is going to make the degrees coming out of it any better or more prestigious.
Focus on the corriculum and the work that comes out of the school, but this of course is to hard for an administration that wants quick fixes.
doesn't RCA (Royal COLLEGE of Art) have like the best degree and Masters program around and tons of american Universities are called colleges.
It's really just a bit of a Napoleon complex to me.
this is all an elaborate plot by spiekermann to rid the world of pesky vowels and long words. look at RBK, he must have been whispering in someone's ear (who can resist that accent?).
maybe they should get with the times and call it OCRAP, or OSNAP (as in "oh, snap!" you guys are stupid"). or perhaps just Alsop U.
anyway, yeah, count me in. let's all get huge hats with giant feathers and wear them to the meeting (and lots of red lipstick).
I sent Lewis our blog post, here are some thoughts and what he sent back to me.
Hey,
Nice post!
Below is part of the text from the posting on the OCAD website:
http://www.ocad.ca/about_ocad/news_events.htm#renaming_project
The Process
The process for developing a new name is focused on broad participation by the OCAD community. The Renaming Project is spearheaded by the Communications Committee of OCAD's Board of Governors, with other members invited for their specific expertise.
* A community brainstorming discussion will be held on Monday, September 10 at 3:30 pm in OCAD's Great Hall.
* OCAD community members have been invited to submit suggestions to the Communications Committee by September 11.
* All suggestions will be reviewed for consideration by the Communications Committee and a final recommendation will be presented to the Board of Governors on September 24.
The main chance to participate publicly will be the forum on the afternoon of the 10th (a large, unhappy audience would be welcomed, I'm sure). However, opinions and suggestions, positive or negative, should be sent to:
nameocad@ocad.ca
I heartily recommend that you get as many people as possible to send emails to the above address stating clearly a position. The more opposition we can create the less they can justify this pointless waste of funds and goodwill.
Hope you're well
Lewis
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