in london

Currently in London vacationing, partying and volunteering for spanner films. http://www.spannerfilms.net/?cc=1

to return on jan. 5

-matt

current video project - concept

Concept: Social action with video

Goal: To strengthen the University and the College of Public and Community Service (CPCS) enrollment and relevance to the urban mission.

Problem: We as CPCS students recognized an issue within the University of Massachusetts at Boston undergraduate admissions process. By documenting the admissions experience of CPCS students, we hope to point out how the admissions process is negatively affecting the College and is failing to meet the needs of the University. At the same time we are aware that steps are being taken by some within the process to make positive changes. We hope to also documenting these changes and show that such progress can lead to a more beneficial relationship

Background: The University of Massachusetts Boston was established in 1964 to provide the opportunity for superior education at moderate cost to the people of greater Boston. It is located on 175-acre campus on Columbia Point peninsula, which it shares with the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. UMass Boston is nationally recognized as a model of excellence for urban universities.

The University outlines six points on its web site as its primary mission. The third point is as follows:

Extending the land grant tradition, the University of Massachusetts Boston forges linkages between research and service, and is forming partnerships with communities, the private sector, government, other colleges and universities, and other sectors of public education. These linkages bring the intellectual, technical, and human resources of the university community to bear on the economic and social needs of metropolitan regions -- for example, through public policy analysis and applied problem solving in areas such as environmental quality, city planning, tax policy, the schools, and economic development, especially in ethnic and minority communities.

The College of public and community service is a prime example of how this third mission point is exemplified. CPCS has a long tradition of community involvement and empowerment. CPCS provides an empowering and effective education to people who are committed to working for social justice, and who want to promote positive development in their communities.

Several CPCS students have recently reported issues related to their experience with the university's undergraduate admissions process. Some of these issues include; feeling that the admissions staff were under informed about CPCS and that students were in fact encouraged to not pursue CPCS as a viable option.

Impact: The result of this action is a decreasing enrollment for the College of public and community service. This reflects back to the University as its main force for community involvement (CPCS) is not receiving adequate support. Members of the larger peninsula community feel as though the University is not keeping true to its urban mission.

Proposed Action: We recognize that the solution for problems such as this must, from multiple directions. This is why we are proposing a two-part action plan.

Part One: Video documentary.

We will create a 10-15 minute video documentary about the experiences of CPCS students with the university's undergraduate admissions process. We will also interview the administrative Dean of CPCS and a representative from the undergraduate admissions office. The intended audience of this piece will be multiple levels of administration including but not limited to the following:

• Chancellor
• Vice-Chancellor of student affairs
• Director of undergraduate admissions
• Vice-Chancellor of academic affairs
• CPCS community

Part two: Video promotion

We will create a five-minute promotional video explaining what cpcs is. The structure of this piece will be short, quick clips from faculty, current students and graduates.

a little history

so I thought I should provide a little background. I have been interested in and working with technology for about seven years both professionally and as an amateur or musician. I had my first experience with video in 2001 at Cambridge community television working camera on a shoot in their studio. I took several classes and became an intern in the computer lab. I was the creative director for a television show based on short fiction and video feedback.

Julie, a friend and creative collaborator, and myself produced skin, our first digital video short in 2003. after this I decided to focus my energies toward documentaries and community media. I'm currently taking classes at UMass Boston as a community planning major. .