By Abraham Anavisca

While NECC offers a wide range of studies in the arts, there don’t seem to be many classes offered on the medium of film.  Professors Stephen Slaner in the Global Studies Department and Ellen Yarborough in the Department of English are both qualified to teach film. Unfortunately, their willingness to teach is not enough on its own.

“Film classes aren’t being filled,” said Yarborough. “Eight to 10 students don’t make a class. It’s not fiscally responsible for the school.”

Yarborough pointed out that when classes get cancelled it can really disrupt students’ schedules.  Chris Tetreault, a current student majoring in Multimedia, knows firsthand how troubling it can be.

“The Motion Picture class I signed up for was cancelled, because not enough students signed up for it,” he said.

Those who speak about the lack of film courses offered, like Yarborough, say not enough students are interested in film for NECC to invest in it. The equipment needed for the classes would be very expensive.  While there aren’t any classes directly part of a film major, there are plenty of classes that incorporate the medium in some way: Prof. Meredith Gunning, in the Global Studies Department, teaches Philosophy Through Film; Slaner runs History Through Film; Yarborough has her Art of Movies class; and there’s even a Screenwriting class taught by Professor Ginger Hurajt.

Students interested in film study do have options — but some students like David Snyder, a Liberal Arts Major, have no idea these classes are even offered. Snyder said he had no knowledge of these courses until a fellow student told him.