By LUCIE BURNS
News Editor
Visiting Assistant Professor of Communications Jaime Iglehart has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for her documentary about the Saint Rose closure. The GoFundMe was created April 20 and currently has 17 signatures, with donations of $1,140.
The goal for the fundraiser is to raise $12,000 to help with associated costs for the documentary that is actively in production. Filmmaking raises many technical costs including equipment rental, color correction, sound design, and producing a final edit of a film. In addition to this, the film only has a crew of about nine people, which includes students who are balancing their personal and school lives with the job.
“It might sound like a lot but it is pretty reasonable for this. It will allow us to edit the footage we have and to make something really beautiful I hope,” said Iglehart. “It does take a lot of time and financial resources.”
So far, the film’s funding has solely come from Iglehart’s friends and family, along with her own paycheck. Iglehart also noted that the generosity of people offering their time to help has played a big role in helping to fund the film.
The film, Iglehart’s biggest project yet, is estimated to be complete by late 2024, most likely in December. Iglehart has been making films since she was only nine years old, claiming that she began to take filmmaking seriously from this young age, and it has been a passion of hers ever since.
The film is about Saint Rose in its final semester, along with raising awareness of a national trend of college closures.“I think this film deserves to be made because it’s a really good story, not just that, it’s an important one that reflects a national trend in education,” said Iglehart. This trend has seen recent prevalence, specifically in New York state. Out of numerous colleges that shut down or are in the process of doing so since 2020, eight of these were located in New York. The College of Saint Rose and Wells College, which only recently announced its closure, announced within just five months of each other, with Wells’ announcement coming only a week before commencement.
“While countries all over the world are investing more in education the US seems to be letting it die, so I want to make this film to show how much higher education offers, not just to students and employees but to the health of the community,” said Iglehart. To see the GoFundMe, see the QR code below.
