Supporting the College of Visual Arts

While officials met Tuesday inside the College of Visual Arts to possibly decide the future of the St. Paul art and design school, students, alumni and friends demonstrated on the front lawn to keep the 89-year-old school open. The school, which enrolls 170 full- and part-time students, is slated to close at the end of this semester because of falling enrollment and rising costs. With community organizer John Slade holding the microphone, 1998 alum Ben Levitz spoke about employing CVA graduates at his design firm. "It's important to have these creative people to hire and be a part of our business commmunity," he said later.