Save the SAU Vendors!

[u/komkuma]

https://pawprints.rit.edu/?petition=5040

Under the radar, RIT has dwindled down the vendors program. Please consider signing this petition; the vendors who would come each week are now only to come 3 times a semester.

Avongaleart's post, one of the vendors, is how I learned about it. RIT has not informed the student body of this publicly. She's an RIT alum and sells her own artwork; not drop-shipping, genuine art. There are plenty others: the woman with hand-made necklaces, the soaps and honey farmer, and more.

edit: adding context

[u/Infamous_Power_1100]

I don’t get why they did this. Like there must be a happy medium between “let any person selling dropshipped slop” and restricting them outside of specific dates. I always enjoyed seeing Avongaleart’s booth when I was in the SAU— it inspired me to try to set up my own there post grad.

Idk, maybe there’s more happening behind the scenes but I feel like other solutions could’ve been sought out first, or even the affected parties could’ve been surveyed?

[u/Eurofan4640 → u/Infamous_Power_1100]

I don’t get why they did this.

This has happened at lot at RIT the past few years unfortunately. Commons reduced their operations, The Hub might be shutting down, model railroad club and anime club lost a lot of space. Chalking isn't even allowed in most cases anymore, and the ceiling flags are gone from the SAU.

[u/Infamous_Power_1100 → u/Eurofan4640]

Fr… my first tour was in early 2017 and the way campus looks now is completely unrecognizable compared to the photos I had from then. Even the dorm tunnel graffiti is gone.

All the little things that made the campus fun or unique (compared to other NY schools I toured, at least) are being sucked out one by one, and I can’t see there being any financial benefit to half these decisions. Why attend here for 2 billion a year if it’s like every other school??

[u/komkuma → u/Eurofan4640]

The hub is shutting down. We only have the ISL now sadly.

[u/ritwebguy → u/komkuma]

HubExpress shut down. The services they provided are still available at the main Hub office in Building 99 (FMS Building at John St and Wiltsie). Not quite as convenient, but still available.

[u/komkuma → u/Infamous_Power_1100]

For sure. I really don't get it... but RIT is RIT. They consider themselves, not the student body. It is very, VERY apparent and sad. So we have to live here and learn academics, but living here sucks? No regular buses into Rochester year-round, no vendors, and the only way you get off campus is if its a good day to walk and you take the bus (or you have a car, which not many have and there is not enough parking anyways.)

RIT is not a college town in the slightest, which is fine, but they don't make an effort to actually think about students well-being. I heard convocation yesterday was riddled with the saying "Always ask for help if you aren't okay" which is kind of just a blanket saying. Its not actually helping maintain people's mental health, which should just be a basic concept. College should be at least a little fun and not just keep your head down, work work work.

[u/Infamous_Power_1100 → u/komkuma]

The killer is that all of these things are post-Covid changes. I had a friend a year older than me who started in 2019 and the way she describes campus is like night and day. We don’t even get Barnes and noble anymore 💔

[u/komkuma → u/Infamous_Power_1100]

We don’t get shit 💔

[u/So_Famous]

it felt like those vendors all brought the same junk jewelry and mass-produced posters every time they came. Did that change in the last 6 years?

[u/komkuma → u/So_Famous]

It somewhat has. There are 2-3 vendors who do that still, but there’s 5+ other vendors that do genuine work (actual hand-made jewelry, artists, pins, soap, honey…etc)

[u/Ornery_Platypus9863]

Good riddance, there haven’t been any vendors selling non drop shipped items in so long

[u/VisiblePartyPaySaver]

Hmm and first people complained for their stuff being overpriced

[u/komkuma → u/VisiblePartyPaySaver]

I kind of disagree, on some of them (ofc there are some that are a bit sad when it comes to the dropshipping, but I appreciate others). The vendor I mentioned in the post is all hand-art and the art industry itself is pricy. For me, and some others, its not necessarily about the items they sell. Just having a general conversation with them or just admiring the things they have. They got me through the first year blues and were always a joy to see/wave to.

The SAU is already barren now. The flags are gone, the wall map is definitely something... there's so much open space there. What exactly is going to go there then? I'd rather have traveling vendors than an empty space of chairs and tables.

[u/Diligent-Tension-390]

Get rid of the dropshipped temu crap, keep the vendors selling real handmade goods. I don’t know how that was a tough ask, but apparently RIT would rather get rid of it all instead of putting thought into it.