Trustees set "tight" budget
"I think the cost of a Dartmouth education is still seen as a bargain by most families. Every student at Dartmouth is being subsidized by Dartmouth. For the value of a liberal arts education, how can you pass up something at 50 percent off?" —Alfred T. Quirk '49, dean of admissions and financial aid, in the April 13 Dartmouth
At their regular mid-April meeting, the Trustees approved a $135-million budget for 1984-85, considered further the introduction of ROTC on campus, and approved $975,000 in dorm renovations as part of the new clustering program. The Board also elected two new members and appointed eight professors to endowed chairs; these actions are reported on under separate headings below.
The $135-millon budget, up 8.7 percent from the current year's, was "one of the more difficult budget submissions the College has made," according to President McLaughlin. "It's going to be a difficult year," he said. There is a ten-percent increase (to $7.8 million) in the financial aid budget, which was "clearly" a priority area, along with salaries and benefits. But in virtually all other areas, budgets were pared to the minimum. The usual discrepancy between anticipated revenues and the "wish list" budgets submitted by departments in the first round of the budget process has never exceeded $2 million and is normally closer to $1 million; this year it was $3 million, and the shortfall had departments all over campus scrambling to cut here and there. Microfiching of records and some dorm modernization programs were among items eliminated. In addition, there will be a slight reduction in the College workforce, but it is expected that this can be accomplished through attrition rather than layoffs. McLaughlin explained that the senior officers agreed that the budget was "tight, but did not undercut the essential qualities of the institution." Among the reasons this year's budget process was more painful than usual were higher than expected increases in energy, taxes, employee health insurance premiums, and bond interest.
Because of the tight budget, the income side of the ledger came in for some close scrutiny as well. (McLaughlin noted that the College can't run at a deficit - "our budget has to balance.") An 8.5 percent increase in tuition, room, and board to $13,647 over three terms was announced by the Trustees in February. A last-minute effort to close the income-outgo gap involved trying to increase revenues from student housing and dining. The administration announced plans in March to require on-campus living this summer and dining contracts from some upperclass students. However, student protests to these actions resulted in rescinding of the plans. McLaughlin also emphasized the value of the Alumni Fund to the College's revenues. "Very fortunately, our alumni have been relatively immune to economic conditions," McLaughlin said in reference to the regular annual growth in Alumni Fund totals.
On the.matter of ROTC, McLaughlin said the Board "received a fairly extensive briefing" from Trustee Robert P. Henderson '53, who chaired the special committee set up to look into the issue. The committee had met since its formation in February with faculty members and others to consider both the philosophical aspects of ROTC and the specific terms and conditions which a program would need to have so as not to interfere with the academic process. These reactions were being incorporated into a report, based on which the administration was to explore the receptiveness of the various branches of the service to the terms Dartmouth would find acceptable. The faculty would have a chance to consider any proposals as well. McLaughlin expressed the hope that the process might be concluded by the June Trustees' meeting. "It's not an effort that anybody wishes to prolong," he said.
The $975,000 appropriation by the Trustees for dorm renovations survived the budget-cutting axe because it will be funded by the tax-exempt bonds issued by the College two years ago. McLaughlin described the renovations as "the first concrete step" in implementing the facilities aspects of the new clustering program, although many programmatic aspects are already in place. The funds will be used within the three Fayerweather Halls to construct all-purpose rooms and study rooms and to renovate some aspects of the dorms. The clustering program is intended to strengthen the residential focus On campus by fostering increased social alternatives within dorm clusters. McLaughlin expressed the hope that the clustering program would help the fraternity/sorority system by relieving them of the burden to "entertain the entire campus," while also saying that he sees it as "not unlikely that there will be fewer numbers of fraternities and sororities five years from now than today."
The conception of measles as a relatively routine childhood disease was at distinctodds with the situation on campus this spring. One student case in early April hadled to 20 by mid-May, despite a concerted effort to avert an epidemic by Dick'sHouse and public health officials. Here, a state official sticks a needle in the arm ofone of more than 2,000 students inoculated at free vaccination clinics. The disease isa significant threat on a college campus because 16- to 27-year-olds are at great risk ofcontracting it (they were born after measles was no longer prevalent but before aneffective vaccine was developed), because of possible complications in olderpatients, and because the mobility of college students can make for a wide spread ofthe disease.
