Departmental Policies

The purpose of the Art and Design Departmental Policy Statements is to support teaching and learning at Brick City in all courses. The established policies are in place to ensure everyone understands the academic policies specific to their Art and Design classes and that studio safety can be realized with as few obstacles as possible. Student in the Art and Design Department at Missouri State University are responsible for familiarizing themselves with these policy statements which cover: Academic Integrity, Facility Use, Sharps Disposal, Safety Data Sheets, Hazardous Materials, among others. For program and course specific policies, students should refer to the individual course syllabus provided by their instructors.

Art and Design Academic Integrity Statement

Art and Design General Safety Policies

Facility Usage and Safety
Accident Response Procedure
Prepare for Emergencies
Emergency Action Plans
Food and Beverage in Studios
X-acto Knife Safety
Sharps Disposal
Safety Data Sheets
Spray Paints / Aerosols
Spray Booth Use
Masks / Respirators
Solvent Rags
Hazardous and Other Materials

Art and Design Foundations Area Policies

Studio Etiquette
Studio Clean Up Deadlines
Projects / Materials/ Personal Item Storage
Drawing Studio Storage and Clean Up
3D Woodshop and Studio Safety
3D Woodshop Usage
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Art and Design Department Academic Integrity Statement

Updated April 19, 2023

University policy: Missouri State University is a community of scholars committed to developing educated persons who accept the responsibility to practice personal and academic integrity. You are responsible for knowing and following the university’s honor code, Student Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures are available at www.missouristate.edu/policy/academicintegritystudents.htm and the Reserves Desk in Meyer Library.

The Department of Art and Design supplemental policy: Any student participating in any form of academic dishonesty – including but not limited to the submission of text or images (still and moving, digital or physical) that are not a student’s individual academic or artistic property – will be subject to sanctions as described in the University policy. Submitted work – both textual and visual – must be formally, materially, and creatively/intellectually the student’s own production.

Particular coursework or assignments may involve the use of appropriated images or works in the public domain; in these circumstances, work that appropriates or responds to photographs, published images, incorporates artificial intelligence generated content, and/or other artists’ works must show significant and synthetic development or manipulation of the formal qualities, design, and/or concept of the source material beyond duplication. In a manner analogous to the citation of textual sources in written assignments, students should clearly acknowledge any source material used.

General Safety Policies

Facilty Usage and Safety

Outside of published class hours, students enrolled in Art + Design courses have additional Bear Pass access to the buildings where their courses are located and need to comply with the following:  

NEVER prop doors to the buildings open and leave unattended (unless awaiting an emergency response team).

NEVER allow others to enter the building with you; everyone who is permitted in the buildings after hours should use their own Bear Pass.

NEVER work alone; always have someone who can help if there’s an emergency.

All safety rules, clean up procedures, and best practices for studio use must be followed.  

Some studios can only be used after class hours with special permission from Area Coordinators and/or when trained monitors are present. Hours for these studios are posted outside the classroom and on the Departments website. 

Accident Response Procedure

All employees of the Art + Design Department must familiarize themselves with the Missouri State University Accident Reporting and Documentation Policy. 

This policy applies to all MSU employees, as well as to anyone that is injured on MSU property. This extends to students. 

All employees are required to: 

Report all accidents by following the notification procedure (below)
Prepare for emergencies (below)
Complete safety training as assigned

Notification procedures

All Accidents — Employees, victims (if possible) and witness(es) of an accident, whether they involve vehicles or not, should: 

Call 9-1-1 if there are injuries requiring Emergency Medical Services (EMS). 
Contact the office of university safety at 417-836-5509. 
Notify their manager/supervisor of the accident.

An Accident is defined as— any incident involving on-duty employees or university property that results in damage to property or injury to an individual. 

Major Accidents and those involving reportable quantities of hazardous materials/waste— University safety will notify the director of environmental management of all Major Accidents and those involving reportable quantities of hazardous materials/waste. 
 
Every situation is unique but make sure to err on the side of caution.  Safety is always our priority.  When in doubt call for help, MSU Security: 417-836-5509 or 65509 on campus phone. Campus Safety personnel are a resource to help.

Prepare for Emergencies

In your work areas, familiarize yourself with the location of:  

AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) located in BRK 3/4 South Entrance Lobby
Eye Wash Stations 
Emergency Exits and Exit Routes
First Aid Kits
Fire Extinguisher
Fire Alarms
Emergency Shut Offs
Spill Kit
Safety Data Sheets

 Know who to contact:  

Emergency - 911  
MSU Campus Security - (417) 836-5509
Art and Design Main Office - (417) 837-2330

Know the building address and room number where you work. Signs should be posted in each room by the light switch nearest the door.

BRIK 1: 327 W. Mill St., Springfield, MO 65806  
BRIK 3/4: 215 W. Mill St., Springfield, MO 65806
BRIK 5: 420 N. Campbell St., Springfield, MO 65806
Carolla Arts Exhibition Center: 326 N. Boonville, Springfield, MO 65806

Medical or Other Emergency 

Remain calm.
Call 9-1-1 and report the following:

Incident type 
Incident location 
Description of the incident 
Give them the building and room number and if possible, send someone to the sidewalk to guide the emergency responders.

For injury/illness:

Keep victim still. 
Check breathing. 
Control bleeding.

For cardiac or respiratory arrest:

Obtain closest automated external defibrillator (AED) and follow training and/or directions. AEDs are in BRK 3/4 South Entrance Lobby and just inside the front doors in the Carolla Arts Exhibition Center.
Do what you can to assist the emergency response team in locating the victim quickly.

If possible, send someone to wait for the ambulance and help guide medics to location of injury. 

Keep in mind that our buildings can be challenging to navigate, and doors are locked after hours. You will need to assess how to get the victim the quickest help possible while addressing immediate needs of the victim. 

Emergency Action Plans

Evacuation and storm shelter plans are posted on the landing to each floor in Brick City, in addition University Safety keeps an updated Building and Evacuation Chart. Familiarize yourself with the specific plan for each building: 

BRIK 1: 

Evacuation: East to BRIK 3/4 
Storm Shelter: lower floor interior hallways; evacuate 4th floor using east stairs.
Area of Rescue Assistance: east stairwell of 2nd and 4th floors.

BRIK 3/4: 

Evacuation-North to BRIK 1
Storm Shelter: move to the lowest area of interior stairwell.

Food and Beverage in Studios 

For students’ health and safety, no food is to be consumed in studios, as some materials used are hazardous if ingested. Only water bottles or beverages with lids are permissible. To prevent accidental consumption of hazardous materials through contaminated food or exposed beverages, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water and only consume food outside of the studios.

Utility Knives / X-acto Blade Safety

Follow these steps to ensure safety and avoid injury:

Rest the item being cut on a firm hard surface, never on your lap or in the palm of your hand.
Always work with a sharp blade. Dull blades snag and can injure on release. Always have extra blades on hand.
Keep the blade covered when not in use or when in storage. This will protect you and help maintain sharpness of the cutting edge.
Preserve your blade’s sharpness by cutting on soft surfaces, like plywood, chipboard or vinyl cutting mats, never on worktable surfaces or concrete floors.
On thick or resistant material, cut with multiple passes or switch from an X-acto knife to the heavier duty utility knife.
The more force you use pushing the knife, the less control you have over the cut. Do not apply excessive force when cutting.
Guide your cut with a straight edge when possible. A cork backed steel ruler is the safest option. Rulers made from plastic or without backing can slip and/or the blade could cut into them leading to a potential accident.
Apply even pressure across your straight edge to avoid it from slipping. If making several passes, keep your straight edge in place until all cuts are performed.
When cutting along a straight edge, take care that the knife blade remains parallel to the straight edge for the entire length of the cut. This is not a natural motion; the hand would prefer to travel in an arc. If the knife is allowed to tilt towards the straight edge, it will travel up over the edge of the straight edge and cut your non-dominant hand.
Discarded/used blades are just as dangerous as blades in use. These blades should be disposed of in the special blade disposal unit as indicated by the instructor.
When working with X-Acto and Utility knives, avoid distractions and work with intention. Rushing your cut or being distracted from the task at hand can lead to injury.
Report all injuries to the instructor.
Injuries requiring medical attention must be reported to the office of University Safety who will guide you through the Accident Investigation Reporting process.

See the Art and Design Accident Response Procedure for steps to take if an injury occurs.

If injury is life threatening, call 911.

If an injury occurs outside of class time that requires medical attention, students should call Campus Safety and report the injury to their instructor as soon as possible.

Sharps Disposal

ONLY dispose used blades in the designated sharps disposal container.

DO NOT throw used blades into the garbage: sharps not properly disposed of pose health risks to anyone who handles the waste. 

Safety Data Sheets

Artists use a wide variety of materials that require specific safety precautions and handling procedures. To ensure safety, know your materials before you begin working. It is important to familiarize yourself with how to safely handle, store, and transport materials. Safety Data Sheets (SDS formerly MDSD) can provide you with this information. We maintain a copy of an SDS for every material used in the studios. Familiarize yourself with the location of the SDS in each studio. All Student/Staff/Faculty who brings a new material to the studio are required to supply an updated PDF hard-copy of the SDS and to fill out the Art and Design Safety Data Sheet Submission form. 

The Safety Data Sheets for all relevant courses are located in yellow binders labeled Safety Data Sheets throughout studios in Brick City. 

Safety Data Sheets provide structured information about: 

A product’s hazardous ingredients 
Information about how to safely handle the material
Emergency Procedures to follow in case of exposure, spills etc.

Link to additional information about Safety Data Sheets:
https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3514.html 

Link to Missouri State University policy on SDS: 
https://www.missouristate.edu/policy/Op2_07_11_SDS.htm 

Submit an SDS

Spray Paints / Aerosols

Only use spray paint and aerosols in approved spray booths located throughout Brick City. An SDS must be supplied to the instructor or area coordinator where the spray booth is located and uploaded through the Departments SDS submission form by the user of a product prior to use at Brick City.  Talk to your instructor about the appropriate spray booth to use for your specific project needs.

Note: The Spray booth in BRK4, floor 2, Drawing and Painting area is only used for fixatives: absolutely no spray paint or other materials.

Spray Booth Use

Follow these steps to ensure proper use of the Spray Booths:

Aerosol sprays of any kind must be done within the designated spray booth. Drawing spray booth is only reserved for spray fixative.
Do not use the spray booth until given proper instruction by a staff or faculty member.
Ensure the gauges read in the proper ranges as marked by the display. If gauges go past the arrow, turn off the booths and report to the instructor.
Use craft paper to cover the spray booth surface. Replace craft paper regularly to keep surface clean.
Spray surface/object from at least two feet away. Spray lightly and direct the spray downward.
Avoid directly spraying the filters.
Allow the object to stand in the booth while it runs for another 2-3 minutes. This will allow the VOCs to safely circulate out of the space.
Turn everything off. Do not leave the booth(s) running unattended for prolonged periods.

Masks / Respirators

Art and Design Department does not require employees or students to perform tasks which involve exposures that require the use of a respirator. If an employee/student has concerns that a particular task puts them at risk, they should bring their concerns to their supervisor/instructor immediately.

Under some circumstances, employees/students may wish to use respiratory protection equipment for their own comfort or sense of wellbeing, even when there is no recognized hazard or potential for exposure above OSHA permissible exposure limits. In these cases, not all of OSHA’s respiratory protection requirements apply (i.e., fit testing is not required).

The Art and Design Department must receive a medical clearance for voluntary respirator use. Please complete the following tasks to obtain and submit a medical clearance.

Review OSHA Appendix C and download OSHA's medical evaluation questionnaire to fill out and provide to your physician.
Download Art and Design's Medical Clearance for Voluntary Respirator Use form. Fill out the top section, print, and take to your instructor/supervisor to sign and then to your physician to complete.
Scan your completed Medical Clearance for Voluntary Respirator Use form to PDF format and upload using Art and Design's Medical Clearance for Voluntary Respirator Use Submission form.

Solvent Rags

Art and Design processes often include working with solvents and paints that if improperly disposed of can cause environmental harm, physical harm to the user, etc. Please familiarize yourself with Missouri State Universities Solvent Contaminated Rag procedure.
https://www.missouristate.edu/Environmental/solvent-contaminated-rags.htm 

Flammable safe bins are provided throughout Brick City, please follow all guidelines –posted in each studio in which solvents are used -- for proper disposal and storage of solvent contaminated rags. 

Red Rags: Use and Disposal 

Red Rags are supplied by the Missouri State Universities Environmental Management team. They are to be used for cleaning up oil paints, solvents, etc. It is possible for solvent soaked rags to spontaneously combust, so please store all rags that have been used in the flammable red rag bin in the studios in which the rags are supplied (or in an approved container supplied by your instructor.) Do not remove the red rags from the studios in which they are supplied. 

Hazardous and Other Materials

Disposal

The only materials allowed down sink drains at Brick City are soap, water, general household cleaners, and consumable items.  Students should check with their instructors for area specific protocols and material handling that fall outside of this protocol.

DO NOT DISPOSE OF ANY CHEMICAL WASTES DOWN THE SINK OR OTHER DRAIN. Drain disposal of chemicals is illegal, damaging to the environment, and in certain circumstances may cause explosions and/or fire in the drain system.  

All disposal of studio waste must adhere to hazardous waste disposal guidelines set by the Missouri State Universities Environmental Management team.

Storage of Materials in Jars, Containers, etc. 

For proper storage of chemical and other hazardous materials, follow all guidelines set forth by the individual studio in which the materials are used and stored. Flammable materials will most often be stored in a designated flammables cabinet.  

In studios where hazardous materials are handled and used, all materials (even water) stored in containers must be clearly labeled. All hazardous material must adhere to labeling guidelines set by the Missouri State Universities Environmental Management team. 

If an unlabeled item spills and the identity of the substance is unclear, it will be treated as a hazardous material. Help prevent any confusion and clearly label all items. 

If re-using a jar or tub, remove all previous labels. DO NOT store chemicals in water bottles, food containers, or containers whose labels cannot be removed, as this could cause accidental ingestion or misuse of chemicals. Ensure that the container is made from a substance that is compatible with the hazardous material being stored.   

Chemicals and Hazmat Labeling

All hazardous material must adhere to labeling guidelines set by the Missouri State Universities Environmental Management team. 

https://www.missouristate.edu/Environmental/waste-handling.htm 

Foundations Area Policies

The purpose of the Foundations Area Policies is to support teaching and learning at Brick City in all foundation level courses: 2D Design, 3D Design, Introduction to New Media, and Drawing I. The established policies are in place to ensure everyone understands the academic policies specific to their Foundation classes and that studio safety can be realized with as few obstacles as possible. Students are a part of the Foundations Area community therefore, are responsible for familiarizing theselves with these policy statements which cover: Foundations Lab Usage, Foundation Studio Safety, Storage of Materials, Projects and Personal Items, 3D Woodshop Safety, amongst others. For course specific policies please refer to the individual course syllabus provided by your instructor.

Studio Etiquette
Studio Clean Up Deadlines
Projects/ Materials/ Personal Item Storage
Utility/X-acto Knife Safety
Spray Booth Use
Drawing Studio Storage and Clean Up
3D Woodshop and Studio Safety
3D Woodshop Usage
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Studio Etiquette

The Foundation studios are used by many students; it is critical that everyone clean up after themselves at the end of each work session:

Sweep of workstations.
Return all materials to designated storage area.
Label your materials and work clearly with: Name/class/semester/year.
Clean out sinks.
Clean all tools and return to storage area.
Keep the studios clutter free.
Remove projects promptly after grading.
Notify your faculty of any damage to tools or the studio.

Studio Clean-Up Deadlines

Plan to remove all personal items and projects from the studio the day of your final exam. Any personal items (finished work, materials, tools, etc.) remaining in the foundation studios or in lockers will become the property of the MSU Foundations Program and will be either discarded or kept for use by the department.

Projects / Materials / Personal Item Storage

Plan to remove all personal items and projects from the foundation studios and lockers the day of your scheduled final/critique. Any personal items (finished work, materials, tools, etc.,) remaining in the Foundations studios or in lockers after 5:30pm on the day of your final exam, will become the property of the MSU Foundations Program and will be either discarded or kept for use by the department.

If you drop the course, it is your responsibility to remove all personal items within one week of your drop date. If items remain past one week, they will be either discarded or kept for use by the department.

Drawing Studio Storage and Clean-up

The Drawing Studios are used by many students therefor it is important that all items be stored in an efficient manner.

Please adhere to the following:

Storage of Materials and Drawing Boards

The cabinets in the studio are for storage of paper and drawing pads only.
Portfolios cannot be stored in the studio; students are responsible for taking them home after each work session.
Drawing boards must be placed behind the line on the floor in designated storage area.

Clean-Up

At the end of each work session:

wipe off the easel tray.
put away all materials and tools in their designated location.

3D Woodshop and Studio Safety

All students entering and using the 3D Woodshop and Studio facility are responsible for their safety and the safety of the students around them. To use the 3D facilities all students must follow published safety guidelines, failure to comply with published safety guidelines will result in the student losing access to the studio area and equipment and possibly failing the course.

By enrolling and attending the class, students agree to follow all safety guidelines, to only hold themselves responsible for their personal safety and to report ALL injuries to the instructor or lab monitor. You are only permitted to use tools and equipment your faculty has taught you to use. Failure to follow 3D Woodshop Safety protocol could lead to you losing access to the 3D Woodshop.

3D Woodshop Usage

The 3D Woodshop is only open during monitored class times. Any student found working without the Foundations Area Coordinator's permission while unattended by an approved faculty member will lose all shop privileges. This could have a negative impact on the student's course grade.

Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)

Anyone entering the 3D Woodshop and Studio must always wear appropriate closed-toed shoes, please change your shoes prior to entering the studio.

When equipment/tools are in operation the following PPE is required:

ANSI approved shatter resistant safety glasses.
Hearing Protection Rated for 25 decibels or more. (ear buds and headphones are not sufficient unless rated appropriately)
Closed-toed shoes that cover entire foot, are flat, and protect against falling objects.
N95 rated fitting respirator (dust mask - not a surgical mask) is recommended when wood or other dust is present and cannot be contained by the dust collection system.