I know that everyone is very interested in the progress of the legislation that would allow 4-year degrees at BCC. Unfortunately, this bill has died in committee. Read below for an explanation from Senator Kilmer, the chairman of the Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee:

Yesterday was a big day in Olympia. It's a day known as "Policy Committee Cut-off."

The legislative process is a bit like a funnel. There are hundreds of bills introduced at the beginning of the legislative session. In order to finish their work in the 105 days allotted, the Legislature has rules that, at certain points in the process, only bills that have passed out of certain committees will continue their way through the funnel. By the end of the session, only a fraction of the bills introduced will actually become law.

Yesterday was the first day of this legislative session in which bills got caught up in the funnel and died. Specifically, "Policy Committee Cut-off" is the last day for policy bills (i.e., bills that aren't specifically related to the budget) to make it out of the policy committees (i.e., committees other than Ways & Means and Transportation).

The past week was a frenzy of activity as legislators, citizens, and others worked to keep their ideas alive. At the end of the Wednesday, there were some happy faces and some long faces in Olympia. On days like yesterday, you'll hear lots of legislators repeating the mantra, "It was a good idea. It will be a good idea next year."

The Interior Design Student Association would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming support of this bill and for all of the emails and phone calls to your legislators.

Join them for a guided tour of the Columbia Sportswear Seattle Flagship Store Wednesday February 25th 6:00 - 8:00 PM Starts at 6:00 PM on the 7th floor of Macy's in the Whidbey Room How do you create a flagship store at a very challenging location for one of the world's largest outerwear brands and the leading seller of ski wear in the United States? Starts at 6:00 PM on the 7th floor of Macy's in the Whidbey Room (look for the Retail Design Institute signs) where Dan Hones, IDSA Creative Director for 2Hemisphers will show us the design concepts that were presented to Columbia Sportswear. At 7:00 we will walk across the street and Dan will take us through the store environment and show us the transformation of the space from the concept to reality. Light appetizers and refreshments will be served at Macy's from 6:00 - 7:00 and of course, feel free to shop while we are at Columbia. RSVP to Paul Biondolillo, space is limited. Members, $15.00 Non Member, $20.00 Students, free

Surrounded by the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle Chapter of the Retail Design Institute encompasses Washington, Oregon and Idaho and is comprised of a diverse group of designers, architects, graphic designers, suppliers, retailers, educators and students with the goal of advancing innovation and collaboration of the creation of selling environments. Learn More

Paul Biondolillo The Retail Design Institute Seattle Join the Retail Design Institute mailing list by clicking here.

BCC Brown Bag Event!

Wed, February 25, 1pm – 2pm BCC, Room L113 Kristi Hanna, IDCW President, will discuss the current bill regarding interior design legislation and field questions on the subject. Learn more about interior design legislation and how it can affect you. It's your future, secure it!

Upcoming IIDA Event Volunteer Opportunities!

Looking for ways to network and be involved with IIDA in 2009? There are a lot of great events planned for the year and we need your help. Event committee roles include coordinators of sponsorship, graphics, venue/catering, decorating, photography, public relations, and more! Committee chair contact information and meeting dates are listed below: The committee for Toast!, the Northern Pacific Chapter's annual meeting and celebration, is forming. To be a part of this May event, please get in touch with Toast! Co-Chair Amy Rudkin at amy(at)fullassoc.com. Planning for the Annual Golf Classic is in full swing. Contact NPC Golf Classic Co-Chair Dawn Polak at dpolak(at)lmnarchitects.com to be involved in this June event. The newly re-vamped Design Awards is also well under way. Contact Design Awards Co-Chair Jami Howard at JHoward(at)skbarchitects.com to participate. The awards will take place this fall. Greenworld/ReGeneration 2009 is a series of lectures, each lead by a local sustainability expert. The series occurs throughout the year in partnership with AIA and ASID. Denni Nessler, IIDA Greenworld/ReGeneration Chair, is your point of contact to participate. Denni can be reached at dennin(at)jpcarchitects.com. IIDA Seattle City Center is looking for an event chair, committee members, and volunteers for the annual Market Saturday event in April. If you would like to get involved with IIDA, this is a perfect event to jump in and get your feet wet! Please contact Ja-ay Klinthavorn at klinthavornw(at)hotmail.com if you are interested.

IDCW Looking for more Product Runway volunteers!

Please contact Rand Castro at boomerand23(at)hotmail.com Or simply attend their next planning meeting: When: Every 2nd Wednesday from 6:00pm - 7:30pm Where: CollinsWoermann, 710 2nd Avenue Suite 1400 (Dexter Horton Building)

THE BCC BACHELORS DEGREE LEGISLATION IS STALLED IN COMMITTEE!

YOU CAN DO SOMETHING TO HELP!!

The current legislation that would allow BCC to offer 4-year degrees has stalled in committee. This means that some of the Senators on the Higher Education + Workforce Development Committee have not agreed that the bill should move to the Senate floor for a vote. If this bill does not get out of committee then this issue will not be addressed again until the 2010 Legislative Session. The time to act is now!

PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL THE FOLLOWING LEGISLATORS! And forward this list to everyone you know (get your family and friends and fellow students to call too!!) Let them know why they should support this legislation!


Senator Randi Becker (R) 2nd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Phone: (360) 786-7602
becker.randi@leg.wa.gov

Senator Mike Hewitt, (R) 16th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Phone: (360) 786-7630
Fax: (369) 786-1266
hewitt.mike@leg.wa.gov

Senator Ken Jacobsen (D) 46th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Phone: (360) 786-7690
Fax: (360) 786-1999
jacobsen.ken@leg.wa.gov

Senator Val Stevens (R) 39th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Phone: (360) 786-7676
Fax: (360) 786-7819
stevens.val@leg.wa.gov

HERE ARE THE TALKING POINTS: (PLEASE Add a Personal Note or Information About Yourself, DO NOT just cut and paste this message because it will not be as effective. The legislators want to know your personal story and why this bill is important to you!)

I support Senate Bill SB 5575, legislation that would grant Bellevue College the authority to offer upper-division classes.


(1) BCC can co-exist as a BA program and an AAS program.

a. The current plan will be considered a 2 + 2. After 2 years you can graduate with an AAS in Interior Design, or you can choose to continue for 2 more years to complete your BA.

(2) The state will feel virtually no monetary impact from this bill.

a. Currently the state has in-state and out-of-state tuition rates for students. If the BA is approved then 300-level and 400-level classes will be priced at out-of-state tuition rates. This means that the state will not be responsible for reimbursing students for the in-state tuition rate for these courses. Ultimately, offering upper level courses will not cost the state more money.

b. The faculty will not be paid more to teach 300-level and 400-level courses.

c. The number of units required is just short of a Bachelors degree – only 5 more classes are required for an accredited program, 3 of which already are offered at BCC. Therefore, virtually no curriculum development or staff increase is required.

(3) A bachelor's degree in Interior Design will make its graduates more competitive in a difficult economy. The high quality of BCC's Interior Design graduates is no longer the advantage it once was in the Puget Sound region. Given the competition for jobs, a bachelor's degree in interior design is highly valued.

AND there is no other state school that offers a 4-year program in western WA. Many students are changing careers and enhancing their job skills to earn a better income and cannot face the hardship to their families by transferring to WSU in Spokane , the only other BA program available at a state school.

(4) The Interior Design program is currently accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), an independent, non-profit accrediting organization for interior design education programs at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada . BCC's program is one of only three non-baccalaureate programs in the United States to hold this distinction and is the only CIDA-accredited program in Western Washington , and one of only two in the state. This accreditation will be forfeited in January 2010 if the program does not culminate in a bachelor's degree by then. Losing accreditation jeopardizes the future of a vital and successful program, reducing the availability of qualified interior design professionals in Washington , and diminishing the value of students' degrees. The resources expended in building the program and conducting the self-study that led to accreditation represent a significant investment that should not go to waste.

(5) BCC will only offer Applied Bachelors degrees: degrees that apply directly to a trade or profession and these degrees will not be offered at any other state school in western WA.


PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE! The committee may vote on this as soon as today, so act now!

HELP GET BCC A BACHELOR'S IN INTERIOR DESIGN!

This Friday, February 6^th, BCC President, Jean Floten, will be attending a hearing with the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development committee, to answer questions and testify in support of Senate Bill SB-5575. The companion House bill number is HB-1726.

The legislation, if approved, will grant Bellevue College the authority to offer upper-division (300-400 level) courses. This would allow programs such as ours to propose and offer bachelor’s degrees.

We need YOU to call or email your congressmen to let them know that you support this bill. Click here to see more details about contacting the right people.

For you information, you can check out the Bill Language here. The pertinent sections of the bill are Sec. 108 and 109.

You can also follow this link to see the Seattle Times article regarding the proposed legislation. It also addresses concerns expressed by the opposition.

AND...if you interested in learning about the tentative plans for the bachelor's degree, please read Dan Beert's statement here.

2009 POSTER CONTEST for the BCC/IDSA Annual SENIOR SHOW

Have your design displayed on campus and potentially used as the community invitation to the event.

Submissions due by Friday Feb. 13th 2009.

Please deliver to Michael Culpepper ( ID dept. in the L Bldg )

Questions? contact: idsainfo (at) gmail (dot) com

YOUR ENTRY SHOULD INCLUDE:

1. "The graduating 2009 BCC Interior Design Students welcome you...." (or similiar)

2." Gallery showing at BCC's Art Gallery April 2-16 Mon-Thurs 12-6pm & Sat 12-6pm"

3. Reception to be held Thurs April 9th 5-8pm"

LET'S MAKE THIS THE BEST POSTER AND COMMUNITY INVITE WE HAVE SEEN YET! ALL STUDENTS WELCOMED TO ENTER CONTEST ... FIRST YEAR, SECOND YEAR, SENIOR... AND EVERYONE IN BETWEEN !!!

CALLING ALL GRADUATING BCC INTERIOR DESIGN STUDENTS !!!

SIGN-UP TO BE IN THE SENIOR SHOW THIS SPRING!

DEADLINE TO SIGN-UP IS FRIDAY FEB 13TH!

SEE DETAILS BELOW:

Qualifying ID graduating seniors must have "officially applied for graduation" and will be graduating by end of summer 09.

Besides your name, we are collecting info for the Senior Show Program. If you are comfortable, please include any or all:

1. Your name

2. Your email

3. List of organizations you are a member of (IIDA, IDSA, ASID, etc)

4. Any awards you have received for your design work.

5. A brief summary of the work you will be showing, your design focus and/or field of interest in design, and/or what inspires you. This should be short... just a sentence or two. We want to include a little bit about each student in our program but we are very limited on space. This isn't a must... only include if you wish!

To sign-up: email idsainfo (at) gmail (dot) com

Deadline to sign up for senior show is FEB 13th ! Spots are limited so sign up soon !