The Fabrication Facility, located on the 10th floor of Columbia’s 623 S. Wabash Ave, cut its operating hours as part of a college-wide effort to reduce the school’s $20 million financial deficit. The facility used to be open Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., on Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The new hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Only ceramics students and faculty can use the center on Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Fabrication Facility is a hub for the Art & Design departments and provides on-campus space for woodworking, metalworking, 3D printing and laser cutting. Students told the Chronicle they worry that as the college continues to decide what to cut, their education and opportunity to create freely will be compromised.
