Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Support independent student journalism. Support independent student journalism. Support independent student journalism.
The Dartmouth
July 9, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Panel of administrators solicits budget input

A panel of administrators answered students' questions on topics ranging from changing the academic calendar to increasing class size at the student budget forum held Tuesday night in Collis Common Ground.

At the forum, hosted by the Student Budget Advisory Committee, acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears and acting Provost and Dean of the Faculty Carol Folt emphasized their desire for increased student involvement in the decision making process.

"I really believe that there is untapped creativity out there that students are already thinking about," Spears said. "There are revenue-generating ideas that we haven't even thought of yet."

While some students argued that dramatic changes to current College operations could detract from the "Dartmouth Experience," others expressed interest in exploring a new approach to current policy in order to help balance the budget.

One proposal discussed at the forum was a change to the academic calendar that would shorten the Summer term by half a week and reduce the length of orientation in order to end Fall term before Thanksgiving break.

Administrators and faculty members discussed changing the calendar prior to the current budget crisis, Folt said. Enacting the new system could help save Dartmouth money by closing down College facilities during the longer winter break, which would increase efficiency.

Some students responded positively to the proposal for a longer winter break, although an international student raised concerns about spending the entire winter interim period on campus due to the high cost of returning home.

Another potential budget saving measure Folt suggested was increasing the average class size by roughly 50 students in order to generate revenue.

Spears addressed concerns regarding a higher student-to-faculty ratio, housing difficulties and the loss of Dartmouth's unique size in the Ivy League by stating that the administration is examining how many students the College could sustain without "diminishing the quality of programs and services."

In response to a question about discussions with the Service Employees International Union, which has protested potential staff layoffs throughout the week, Senior Vice President Steven Kadish said the College has been in touch with the SEIU and offered members an early retirement option that many have accepted.

Folt touched upon the possibility of making changes to the current academic curriculum, although serious discussion will not begin until the spring, she said.

There was little consensus among attendees about the prospect of consolidating different advising services into a central office. One student called the idea of "one-stop shopping" for advising "dangerous" while another commented that his only experience with an advisor was in filling out his floor's application for Student-Initiated Programs funding deeming advising less important.

"I really ask you guys to take what you heard here tonight back to your representative communities and not just to say here's what the administration said,' but come up with your own topics," Folt said at the conclusion of the discussion.

The forum was organized around a series of topics presented by Student Body President Frances Vernon '10 and Student Budget Advisory Council Chair Maya Granit '11. At the start of the forum, Folt presented a brief slideshow detailing the major goals of proposed budget cuts to reorganize existing institutions, seek new revenues for the school and re-consider current benefits and compensation.

"This conversation was, in some ways, more helpful than last year's because it was very targeted on certain topics, which allows us to have some really good feedback," Spears said in an interview with The Dartmouth.

The structure of the discussion allowed students to develop their ideas based on comments from other members in the group, compared to a regular question-and-answer panel or online submission, Kadish said.

Roughly 50 student budget concerns have been submitted through the College budget web site, while faculty and alumni have submitted many more, Spears said. Folt added that student, faculty and alumni suggestions all focus on maintaining outstanding teaching and learning experiences at the College.

While the administration, Kim and the Board of Trustees will have the final say when determining how to make budget cuts, student suggestions submitted online and proposed during the forum will be sent to project teams working on the budget, Spears said.

Many proposals have also focused on using green technology to reduce costs, Folt said. The group that is working to develop financial solutions has taken this into account and will discuss improving energy efficiency whenever they discuss campus facilities, she said.

Folt, Kadish and Spears agreed that the general atmosphere at the forum was very open and students seemed willing to consider many different ways of approaching the budget cuts.

The SBAC has been expanded to include members of Palaeopitus, the undergraduate finance committee and class councils in an effort to foster greater student involvement, Spears said.