While it is important to involve the students' and community's opinions in the budget-cutting process, Kim and the trustees must be appropriately wary of these opinions. These cuts are significantly more drastic than last time and require the professional knowledge of trustees and administration officials. Student and community opinions of what should be cut are important, but will inevitably be short-sighted and biased.Jasper Hicks '12
Nothing could be more demoralizing for the student body than another round of budget cuts made by administrators deaf to our input. Let's not have another Office of Pluralism and Leadership crisis; this round, we must protect the vital organs of the Dartmouth experience for the highest number of students possible and cut the rest.
Kevin Niparko '12
Kim and the Board should consistently consult the faculty and student body on their perspectives on changes to address the budget cuts. Without extensively analyzing the future effects of these changes, the administration could inadvertently weaken the budget even further, or damage potential applicants' interest in the school.Julian Sarkar '13
I think it is necessary that Kim and the trustees consult students, faculty, employees even parents in the decision-making process. That said, it is up to the Dartmouth community to take an interest in the changes and to voice their opinions on important issues, so that they are in the minds of those who have the final word.
Emily Baxter '11
In the brainstorming phase, I think the administration should be as open to public feedback as possible, since a large idea pool is almost never a bad thing. The final decision has to come directly from Parkhurst, however. The responsibility then falls to us to submit ideas at a reasonable volume and in a manner so that the administration can continue to listen to us.
Justin Murray '13
I don't believe that the average Dartmouth student knows Dartmouth intimately. In fact, we are usually guilty of assuming that our small sliver of the Dartmouth experience is far more representative of Dartmouth than it actually is. We are too likely to forget about all the behind the scenes work that goes into making Dartmouth function as it does, and we place excessive emphasis on the small portion that we do see. The TVs in Food Court probably cost no more than $5,000 not a substantive portion of the budget by any means and yet ask any student about budget cuts, and those TVs will be among the first things they mention cutting. Add to that the fact that four years is hardly enough time to gain an intimate understanding of an institution's workings, and you have a student body that feels much more qualified to opine about budget cuts than it actually is.Emily Johnson '12
The entire Dartmouth community absolutely must have a say in the process. The last round of cuts was not sufficiently informed by discourse with the real backbone of the Dartmouth community our administrative assistants, Dartmouth Dining Services employees and maintenance staff. Cutting jobs or precluding Dartmouth workers from earning a realistic living wage is a wholly unacceptable outcome. Protecting our workers and Dartmouth's financial aid policy must be the first priorities no matter what, so those workers should have a large say in the upcoming dialogue.
Cameron Nutt '11
