Social scene suffers at the hands of budget cuts

Author: Canem Ozyildirim

As the College proceeds with budget cuts in the face of a global economic crisis, the buzz among students grows louder each day about what the College's next step should be and how the administration should prioritize. Among students' primary concerns are the effects that the budget cuts will have on Middlebury's social life. It is clear that, in the following months, the administration will have to choose between tradition and fiscal rationality when implementing new budget cuts.

One thing questioned by many students is the efficiency of commons-organized parties. Commons parties represent an established College tradition, originating from an honorable and cohesive goal to provide students with an all-inclusive medium to socialize, where alcohol consumption is monitored. Yet the general belief among students is that the reach of these events is very limited.

"Not a lot of people go to commons parties and they are not a huge source of attraction," said Nick Spengler '09.

The quandary, it seems, is whether to attempt to make the commons parties appealing to a more diverse group of students or to simply reduce spending on these functions for the duration of the financial distress. (It is worth noting that the Commons budgets are distributed from the Student Activities Fee, and therefore cannot be reallocated to some other areas of student life that may need the funds more, e.g., Dining Services.)

Another issue of conversation with respect to social life on campus has been the future of 51 Main at the Bridge. After President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz's Feb. 23 campus-wide e-mail announced the Budget Oversight Committee's recommendation to shut down 51 Main unless it "records two consecutive months of profitability between now and December 2009," many students became worried about how the budget cuts will affect the fledgling venue. Farhan Ahmed '09 questioned why the College was considering shutting down 51 Main when it was specifically constructed to facilitate interaction between students and members of the surrounding community. "I do not understand why they are trying to take that specified donation money away from its purpose, which it is fulfilling beautifully," said Ahmed.

Haseeb Humayoon '09 also opposed the possible shutdown of 51 Main, describing the social space as "a nascent effusion of students, staff members and young professors which enhances the feeling of community and conversation in a way that no other setting in town or on campus does." Humayoon suggested that, instead of considering a shutdown of 51 Main, the College "identify certain eccentric initiatives on campus which have small target groups or affect a small demographic but drain the College's resources."

Although it can hardly be categorized as eccentric, the fireworks during this year's Winter Carnival drew the ire of many members of the College community as one of those initiatives that drain the College's resources in a time of financial uncertainty. Spengler was among those students doubting the appropriateness of Winter Carnival's fireworks.

"Fireworks are festive and nice for celebration," he said, "although, in a time of economic depression, it just looks like they are ejaculating money into the sky. I have got nothing against fireworks, but ... "

Students can take advantage of the College's transparency in handling the economic crisis by voicing their opinions about the budget cuts on the College Web site, at http://blogs.middlebury.edu/budget. Most students, it seems, are willing to compromise and give up certain privileges in order to help the College during these troubling times. Alexandra Fisher '10 suggested changes that could be made at the Grille in order to make students' favorite late-night snack destination viable as a profitable business.

"Raising prices at the Grille, and limiting the hours to only those during which the most food is sold, could possibly greatly increase the establishment's revenue, or at least decrease its losses," said Fisher. "I love my Dr. Feelgood just as much as the next person, but I'd be willing to pay a little bit more for it if I knew that I was possibly saving something else from getting cut out of the school's budget."