June 18, 2009.  The Concerned Students and Alumni of the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI Action Group) have established a committee to study the use of an escrow account to hold tuition until SFAI reinstates laid off tenured faculty.  The committee will also explore the use of an escrow account for alumni and other donors to place funds for distribution to SFAI on the condition that SFAI reinstate the laid off faculty and make certain other related commitments for the advancement of students, alumni, staff and faculty.  

SFAI Administrators must not continue to use its students and alumni as ATM machines.  We are deeply troubled by the acts and decisions by SFAI Administrators, particularly their decisions to layoff tenured faculty and acts that tend to whittle away at quality education, tenure, academic freedom, unionism, and free speech on campus.  We are moving to put an end to these egregious acts.  

Update, August 26, 2009.  After study and deliberation, the committee recommended to withhold the use of a tuition escrow account for Fall for the following reasons:

• Because the students involved strongly believe that SFAI is in a crisis of leadership under the current Administration, the students want to provide full support to remaining faculty, laid-off faculty, remaining staff, and their fellow students;

• Most of the students involved want to be on campus during the Fall to fully participate in activities, including in-class and out-of-class activities, outreach and protest actions;

• A tuition boycott would be more effective if done later, allowing more time for organizing.