The Interior Design Program has been located at Salt Lake Community College’s Library Square Campus in downtown Salt Lake City until recent measures have been taken to relocate the program to the Taylorville Redwood Campus.
A petition, organized by students Beth Low and Brenda Lang, states that the Interior Design Program is specifically aimed to be located in the downtown area of Salt Lake City because of the opportunities for students to apply for jobs, internships and other resources.
“Many of our classes take advantage of the architecture, which is readily available in downtown locations,” says Low. “Many of our classes take advantage of walking tours of the many historical and notable buildings, as well as superior examples of interior design, which are plentiful in the downtown area.”
Downtown Salt Lake City is known for its unique and distinct style of architecture. According to Interior Design faculty member Janet Barrs, the program of Interior Design excelled at Library Square Campus, due to the impression the campus inspired upon the students of this program.
“Library Square has an intimate and creative environment that seems to be missing at the larger Taylorsville,” says Barrs. “For a creative program, a smaller campus like Library Square nurtures and rewards that creativity.”
Program Director Mojdeh Sakaki has collected letters from the community of design explaining why SLCC should reconsider moving the Interior Design Program away from downtown.
“Salt Lake has a very close-knit design community that thrives only in the downtown area,” says Sakaki. “Having had a presence in a downtown location until fall 2013, allowed us to provide unlimited internships, field trips to design resources, etc.”
“Location may not affect other programs, but with design it is all location, location, location,” says Sakaki.
The petition to move the Interior Design program back to its downtown home can be found by contacting Beth Low.
“We need SLCC to provide all the tools necessary for us to be successful in the design world,” says Low. “We see our own careers being compromised, and we see the future of the design program as a whole being compromised.”
