STUDENT FINANCES AT DARTMOUTH

An investigation of the finances of Dartmouth students, undertaken at the request of President Hopkins, was completed during the past college year. The organization and work of the survey was conducted under the supervision of Professor G. H. Tapley, of the Tuck School faculty, with the cooperation and assistance of an undergraduate committee and a group of Tuck School students.

On the basis of a preliminary report submitted to him, President Hopkins has requested that a more exhaustive study be made of the available data, and that the results be embodied in a comprehensive report. This report is now in preparation and will later be made available to the public.

In this article it is proposed to present for the information of the Alumni the main facts and conclusions thus far drawn from the investigation. Some comparison will also be made with data secured by a survey of similar purpose but more limited scope, which was made in 1906-1907 under the direction of Professor Warren M. Persons.

METHOD AND SCOPE Through the efforts of the student committee, and with the assistance of The Dartmouth, sufficient publicity was given the campaign to secure the cooperation of the student body. Questionnaires were sent on April 29 to approximately 750 men. This list was compiled by taking each third name rom the college directory, and made a sample of roughly 39% of the college, the percentages of the lour classes being almost equal.

As a result of the publicity and impetus given the campaign, not only in the College as a whole, but in the fraternities and other groups, a return of 89.5% usable questionnaires was secured. Every return was carefully edited and all those obviously faulty were thrown out. The 668 usable questionnaires obtained give a sample of slightly more than one-third of the College. The method of selecting the men for questioning and the apparent care with which the detailed form was filled out seem to insure the reliability of the data. Furthermore, on all possible points comparisons have been made with data on record in the college offices.

TOTAL COLLEGE-YEAR EXPENDITURES Meaning of Term. Total college-year expenditures are considered to be all the items of expense which a man incurs during the college year, with no allowance made for such items as scholarship aid, earnings, and loans, which are all considered separately as income. It should be noted, too, that this figure cannot fairly be compared with such estimated costs as those given in the catalogues of various colleges, as these latter figures are generally not so inclu- sive and are commonly based only upon an arbitrary estimate.

Distribution. The average total college-year expenditure is $1535, with the lowest man reporting a total of only $775, and the highest, S4BOO. Half the college spend from SI3OO to SI9OO during the college year, with only a quarter of the men spending from SI9OO to the maximum of S4BOO, and the lowest quarter more closely grouped between $775 and $l3OO. Chart I shows the percentage of the student body spending various amounts during the college year.

By College Classes. The average man and, indeed, the whole middle group of the freshman class spend less than do the members of the other classes, with the senior year most expensive. The average' for freshmen is $1464, for sophomores, $1467, for juniors, $1552, and for seniors, $1659.

CLASSIFIED EXPENSES The largest item of the average man in the college is for scholastic expenses, including tuition, textbooks and extra fees, followed in order of amount by food, clothing, miscellaneous living expenses, room rent, and social activities. Transportation, entertainment and recreation, and books and periodicals account for only a small part of his expense. Table I presents in dollars and in percentage of total the classified expenses of the average man.

TABLE I

TYPICAL COLLEGE-YEAR EXPENDITURE BY CLASSES OF EXPENSES For the College as a Whole in Dollars and inPercentages

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE 1924-1925 Total of Typical Dollars Pet. Cases in Each Class of Expense 1,476.60 100.0 (a) Scholastic Expenses 354.2S 24.0 (b) Room Rent 155.00 10.5 (c) Food 310.50 21.0 (and) Clothing 225.56 15.2 (e) Misc. Living Expense 156.80 10.6 (f) Entertainment and Recreation 40.75 2.8 (g) Social 150.87 10.2 (h) Books and Periodicals 13.75 1.0 (i) Transportation 69.12 4.7

By College Classes. Not only do total expenses increase from freshman to senior year, as has been pointed out, but there is a distinct trend in the amounts of various items. Scholastic expenses, for example, are considerably more for the two upper classes, with their extra hours, laboratory courses and more expensive texts. Food is more expensive for the upperclassmen, since they are unable to secure the low rate of freshman Commons, and also indulge in more lunches and extra meals.

Clothing. costs progressively more from sophomore to seijior year, with the freshmen distinctly out of line, their clothing expenditure being second only to that of seniors-

Miscellaneous living expenses, social activities, books and periodicals appear to be higher for the two upper classes. On the other hand, transportation and room rent seem to be higher for the two lower classes. For entertainment and recreation freshmen pay consider- ably more than the three upper, classes.

By Financial Groups. In order to compare the significant items of expense by groups of men reporting varying amounts of total college-year expendi- ture, rather than by college classes, the lower quarter of the college—that is, the 500 men who spend less than $l3OO per year—is compared with the middle half, spending from $l3OO to $l9OO, and with the upper quarter, above $l9OO. These three major financial groups are further divided, as in Chart 11, so that each extreme quarter is broken up into five smaller groups, each representing 5% of the College, or roughly 100 men. The chart shows the increase in expenses for these financial groups.

Scholastic Expenses. Scholastic expenses are found to remain practically uniform throughout the whole student body. The differences as between the four college classes have already been noted, but no increase or decrease can be found in the expenditures for tuition, texts and fees by the various groups of students. Roughly, $350 appears to be the uniform expenditure for these items in all financial groups.

Rent and, Board. No other items remain uniform, though some do not vary widely. Room rent increases from an average of $lOO in the lowest 5% of the College to about $225 in the highest 5%. Board increases throughout the range, but more gradually, from $262 to $395 in the same extreme groups.

Clothing. Clothing is the item which varies most widely between the two extremes. The lowest 5% group spend, on the average, $76 in the year for clothes. One man reports only $ll in the year for clothing, while several are under $3O. The average or middle group spend $225 for clothing, while at the other extreme the highest 5% spend on the average $635.50 for clothing, by far their largest single item. Individual cases report over $lOOO in clothing expense for one year.

Miscellaneous Expenses. Miscellaneous living expenses show no striking facts, except a gradual rise throughout the range of expenditures. Entertainment and recreation vary in much the same way. Social expenses range from $2B in the one extreme group to $434 in the other, with individual cases frequently reporting no cost whatever under this item, and others doubling the average of the highest group. Books and periodicals, other than those required in courses, vary from the $4 or $5 expense in the lowest groups to the $35 or $5O average in the highest. Transportation increases from the $33 average of the lowest 5% to the $290 average of the highest group, indicating either that the men of larger expenditures come from more distant places, or are able to go home more frequently in the regular vacations. It should be noted, in this connection, that the classification "Transportation" includes only the cost of going to and from home on regular vacations, and does not include the cost of pleasure trips, football "peerades" and other out-of-town visits, which are included under "Social Expenses."

COMPARISON WITH 1906-1907

An investigation of the expenditures of Dartmouth students was made by Dr. Warren M. Persons during the year 1906-1907, and a brief comparison of the results of the two surveys is interesting in showing something of the change which has taken place on the Dartmouth campus.

Total College-Year Expenditures. Adjusting the figures of that year for the change in dollar value, or purchasing power, the percentage of men spending various amounts during the college-year may be plotted, as in Chart III, in values equal to those of the curve for 1924-1925. Three outstanding facts are to be noted. First, the whole college apparently spends more, throughout the range of expenditures—in other words, the college as a whole is more well-to-do. Second, it seems that the group is less homogeneous in expenditures, as shown by the absence in the 1924-1925 line of the distinct peak found in 1906-1907. And third, it appears that the man who is at the very minimum of expense cannot get by today for as little as he could in 1906-1907.

Classified Expenses. The individual items of expense, as shown by Table 11, in actual dollars and in percentage of total, have changed somewhat in the eighteen-year interval. Although tuition has risen from $125 to $3OO and text books cost far more today, actually a smaller percentage of the average man's expenditure is paid for scholastic expenses than was paid in 1906-1907. Only a slight increase is found in the percentage expenditure for room rent, and an actual decrease is found in the percentage paid for food. However, clothing and miscellaneous living expenses account for approximately 40% of the man's expense today, whereas in 1906-1907 the same items took but 33%. In other words, it would appear that much of the increase in expenditure is being spent for exterior finish.

TABLE II COMPARISON OF AVERAGE MAN'S EXPENSES 1906-1907 AND 1924-1925 DARTMOUTH COLLEGE In Actual Dollars and in Percentages 1924-1925 1906-1907 Actual Dollars Pet. Actual Dollars Pet. Total (a) Scholastic Ex. (b) Room Rent (c) Food (and) Clothing (e) Misc. Living Ex. (f) Enter, and Rec. (g) Social (h) Books (i) Transportation 1476.00 354.25 155.00 310.50 225.56 156.80 40.75 150.87 13.75 69.12 100.0 24.0 10.5 21.0 15.2 10.6 2.8 10.2 1.0 4.7 566.50 167.00 58.50 126.00 70.00 115.00 * * * 30.00 100.0 29.4 10.3 22.3 12.4 20.3 5.3 *No such classifications provided—presumably included under (e).

INCOME Number Obliged to Earn. Approximately 600 of the 2000 students in the college are obliged to earn at least a portion of their expenses. Three hundred and nineteen of these are to be found in the quarter section of the college, which spends less than $1300 during the year. The remainder are in the middle group of men spending from $l3OO to $l9OO, since practically none of the men spending above the latter amount are obliged to earn any of their way.

Cash Earnings. College-year earnings take three main forms: cash, board, and room. Opportunities for cash earnings in Hanover are limited. About half the men earning their way report cash earnings, chiefly in small amounts, most of them being under $5O. Very few* earn over $2OO in cash during the college year. A striking difference is found among the college classes on this point, seniors obtaining a much larger proportion of cash earnings, and in larger amounts than any other class. And this relation holds progressively down to the freshmen, who apparently find few opportunities for cash earnings, and those almost entirely for small amounts, only one man reporting a sum larger than $175.

Board. About 540 men in the college are earning their board. Of these, 246 are among the lowest 500 in point of total college-year expenditure, while 260 are in the middle 1000, with 33 in the highest expenditure group, spending over $l9OO.

Room. Only a few men are able to work for their rooms, but 27 of the lowest 500 men in College and an equal number of the middle 1000, report such an arrangement. Seniors have a decided advantage here, too, it seems, a larger proportion of them reporting this form of income than in any other class.

Summer Vacation Earnings. Approximately 1500 of the men in college earn money during the summer vacation. Ninety _percent of the lowest financial quarter report income of this sort; 78% of the middle half; and 54% of the highest quarter. In the lowest quarter, the average earnings are from $2OO to $225 during the summer vacation, with no deduction for expenses. The average figure is slightly less for each of the other two groups. All the college classes appear to be on equal footing in securing this sort of income, as there is no noticeable difference in numbers or amounts among the four classes.

Comparison With 1906-1907. It appears that a slightly larger percentage of men are earning a portion of their expenses in 1924-1925 than were in 1906-1907, but that these earnings constitute a smaller percentage of their total expenditures. In the former year, 41 % reported earnings of various kinds during the college year, while during the past year 45% earned in various ways. Furthermore, while roughly 60% of the men in 1906-1907 reported summer vacation earnings, 75% of the men in 1924-1925 report this form of income.

Scholarship Aid. Scholarship aid is an important source of income to many men in the college. According to the Treasurer's records, as well as the questionnaire returns, roughly 320 men received scholarship aid from the college during the past year. Sixty percent of these scholarships went to men in the lowest financial quarter, while 40% were received by men in the middle half, with none going to men in the highest financial group. Expressed in another way, 90% of the scholarship aid was received by men spendihg less than the average of $l5OO during the college-year. The largest percentage of the scholarships was received by men spending from $l2OO to $1250.

Every man who spends less than S9OO in the college-year is receiving scholarship aid. Approximately half of those spending from S9OO to SIOOO receive aid. There seems to be no relationship whatever between the amount of the scholarship granted to a man and his total college year expenditure. This is perhaps to be expected, since under the existing scholarship regulations the amount of aid given to a deserving applicant depends wholly upon his scholastic rating. Practically all the, men receiving such aid report earnings, both during the college year and during the vacations.

SCHOLASTIC AVERAGES

The scholastic averages of the men in college vary according to college classes, by expenditure groups, and finally as between fraternity and non-fraternity men.

By College Classes. Considering these in order, for the first semester of the year 1924-1925, the averages by college classes, as shown by the Registrar's records, were as follows: Whole College 2.088 Senior Class 2.519 Junior Class 2.226 Sophomore, Class 1.970 Freshman Class 1.802 By Financial Groups. When divided into the three major financial groups according to total college-year expenditures, the differences are found to be as follows: Group Whole Lowest Middle Highest Group 28 Pet. 50 -Pet. 25 Pat.. Whole College 2.086 2.28 2.05 1.98 ■Seniors 2.519 2.76 2.3 2.42 Juniors 2.226 2.3'2 2.0 2.13 Sophomores 1.970 2.20 2.0 1.8 Freshmen 1.802 1.84 1.9 1.56

It will be remembered that a considerable number of men in the lowest financial quarter reported that they were not obliged to earn—in other words, some men in that group were economical because of training or personal preference. This group apparently contains the best students, on the average, of any financial group in the college. They receive average ratings above those for the whole college, and also above those of the lowest quarter, as follows:

Effect of Working. At no other point in the examination of the returns was there any indication that working during the college year affects the scholastic averages of the men. As many men working a part of their time receive ratings above the average of their respective classes as receive ratings below that figure.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

Classifying the men in various financial groups according to the states from which they come shows that the men spending the most money come f rom the more distant states. Using three groups —men from the New England States, men from New York state, and men from all other states—it is found that in the lowest 5% of the college, in terms of total college-year expenditure, New England furnishes 80% of the members of that group, New York 12%, and all other states but 8%. In the middle half of the college, New England men represent 46%, New York 16.5% and all other states, 37.5%. Finally, in the highest 5% of the college, New England supplies but 3% of the men, New York 18% and all other states 79%.

The reasons for these geographical differences appear to be, first, that a man of limited means attends a nearby college, whereas a man of greater wealth can more easily go to a distant institution; and secondly, that since transportation to and from home is included as an expense, the expenditures of men from more distant states will consequently be somewhat larger.

It is interesting to note that those few men from New England who fall into the highest financial quarter of the college receive the lowest scholastic ratings of any group from New England, and slightly lower, too, than the rest of the highest quarter.

SOCIAL LIFE

Fraternity Membership. Of the men reporting, 69% are members of fraternities. The membership varies widely between the various financial groups. In the lowest financial quarter, only 44.7% are fraternity men; in the middle half, 73% ; and in the highest quarter, 85%. Of course, the conclusions to be drawn from these figures are not unmixed, for a man probably spends more, in general, if he is a member of a fraternity, and conversely, he may feel more free to join a fraternity if he has a sufficiency to spend.

The analysis of the highest and lowest 25% groups in five parts each, these smaller groups consisting of 5% of the whole college, brings out two interesting points. The first is the very small proportion of fraternity men in the lowest groups, 15% of the lowest 100 men being fraternity members, 38% of the next highest group, and 50% of the next. At the other extreme appears what at first glance is a surprising trend; while in the lowest three of the five groups in the highest quarter of the college 88% of the men are fraternity members, in the next to the highest group fraternity men number but 85% and in the highest group only 76%.

Fraternity Expenses. The average expense of fraternity membership, aside from all such charges as room rent, house party and Carnival expense, is $75, for the college as a whole. It is considerably more, approximately $9O, on the average, for freshmen, and less, $6O to $65, for upperclassmen. Furthermore, there is a slightly lower expense for members of the lowest financial quarter in all the college classes and for the college as a whole.

Carnival Expenses. According to the questionnaire returns, 69% of the college or about 1400 men, participated to some extent in Winter Carnival. However, a great many of them have expenditures of small amounts, indicating in all probability that they did not entertain guests. Taking $3O and higher as the amount necessary to entertain a guest, 585 men entertained at Carnival. The average expenditure of this group was $7O. For those men spending less than $3O, the average expense was $lO. Of course the largest percentage of guests were entertained by men in the highest financial quarter of the college, the average cost of entertaining their 291 guests being $75. The middle half of the college spent an average of $7O on 255 guests, while the lowest quarter entertained but few at an average cost of $6O.

House Party Expenses. From the information at hand, a total of about 920 men participated in the Spring House Party Week or other similar social functions. Of these, only 280 had expenses above $3O. The general observations, as among the college classes and financial groups, apply in this case as in respect to Carnival. One hundred and sixty-eight of the guests were entertained by the highest financial quarter, at an average expense of $5O. The middle group, with 105 guests, spend an average of $4O, while the lowest group entertained very few guests, and spent only $35 apiece.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATIONExpense Accounts. With checking accounts and bank statements included, one-half of the men in College keep expense accounts. The men in the various financial groups are almost exactly alike in the extent to which they follow this practice. Sophomores lead in percentage of the different college classes keeping accounts, with seniors by far the lowest.

Laundry. Twelve hundred and fifty men in the College send their laundry home, ordinarily once a week. Freshmen lead in this practice, with seniors following it the least. Furthermore, there is a wide difference among the expenditure groups, with 86% of the lowest financial quarter of the college sending their laundry home, 64% of the middle half, and only 33% of the highest quarter doing so.

Automobiles in Families. While in the lowest financial group, only one man in two has a pleasure car in his home, in the middle group, almost every man's family supports a car, and in the highest financial group, the average man's home has either one or two pleasure cars. The average for the whole college is almost exactly one car per man.

Servants in Families. Only one man in eight in the lowest financial quarter has a servant in his home. In the middle group, every other man has a servant in the family, while in the highest group every family seems to employ one or two servants. This means that only slightly more than every other man in the whole college has a servant in his home.

Numbers Smoking. According to the questionnaire data, 1160 men, or 58% of the College, have the smoking habit. There is a. wide difference in its prevalence as among the various financial groups, only 40% of the lowest financial quarter indulging in tobacco; 62.5% of the middle half; and 68% of the highest financial quarter. Furthermore, there is a similar difference among the college classes: 76% of the seniors smoke; 65% of the juniors; 56% of the sophomores; and only 43% of the freshmen. These differences hold throughout the cross classification by college classes and financial groups, so that there is an extreme range of from 31% smokers in the lowest financial quarter of the freshman class to 92% in the highest financial quarter of the senior class.

Tobacco Expense. The average smoker in the whole college spends $.75 per week for tobacco. In the expenditure groups, this varies from $.50 in the lowest financial quarter through $.60 in the middle half to $l.OO in the highest quarter. Furthermore, there is the same distinction among college classes, with seniors and juniors spending an average of $.BO, sophomores $.75, and freshmen $.60. The extreme range is from $.25 in the lowest quarter of the freshman smokers to $l.OO in the highest quarter of seniors, juniors and sophomores.

Movies. Practically every man at Dartmouth attends the movies more or less at some time during the college year. According to the returns, nearly 99% report some expenditure for movies, and there is no noticeable difference in the various financial groups in the numbers attending, although the frequency with which they attend varies considerably.

The average student at Dartmouth attends the "Nugget" only three times in two weeks. Seniors and juniors attend somewhat more frequently than, do the other two classes, averaging about 10 more shows during the year. Furthermore, there is a noticeable difference among the expenditure groups, with the lowest quarter attending only once a week, the middle half about twice a week, and the upper quarter slightly more often than that.

From the foregoing brief summary it becomes clear that the investigation throws needed light on conditions concerning which much guesswork has been hazarded, both at Dartmouth and at other colleges. Certain of these conditions have such an important bearing on the educational policies of all endowed colleges that they deserve more careful study than they have yet received. The forthcoming comprehensive report, mentioned above, will attempt to throw further light on the significance of some of these problems as they touch the interests of students, parents, alumni and college officials alike.

CHART I Percentage of Students Spending Various Amounts During the College Year Dartmouth College 1924-1925

CHART II Classified Expenses of Various Financial Groups Dartmouth College 1924-1925 (Grouped according to total College year expenditures)

CHART 111 Percentage of Students Spending various amounts during the college year Dartmouth College 1906-1907 and 1924-1925 (In dollars adjusted to present value)

CHART XV Geographical Distribution of Students in Various Financial Groups Dartmouth College 1924-1925 (Grouped according to total college year expenditures)

Guests of the College in front of Parkhurst Hall

u 13c 2 3 a S 'oQ % •>-« r> a* lire a 1 u o i§ Lowest Financial Quarter Whole College 2.088 2.28 2.34 'Seniors 2.519 2.76 2.80 J uniors 2.226 2.32 2.35 'Sophomores 1.970 2.20 2.20 Freshmen 1.80'2 1.84 2,00