Oberlin College is gearing up to face the difficult task of attempting to balance the budget for the next academic year. Its budget projections are likely to face intense scrutiny during the Board of Trustees meeting this Saturday. One cost-cutting measure the College will may consider is reducing academic programming and classes.

Last year, the College projected a $1 million deficit, but they were still able to balance its budget after some shrewd cost-cutting. The endowment’s recent performance has played a primary role in the current fiscal policies of the administration. Though the stock market and the economy seem to be on a slow recovery, the endowment has experienced trouble over the past three years. Before this year’s modest rebound, it had lost $100 million from its peak value. Even a modest recuperation this year has not been enough to ease concerns that the College may undertake further measures to offset any possible budget deficits next year.

At the last general faculty meeting, President Dye cautioned that next year would be the hardest for the College economically in decades, adding, “We’re looking to put together a budget next year that is balanced, but it will be tight.” If the implications behind such statements hold true, then cutbacks to academic programming could be discussed.

The fallout from such cuts is manifold. The Oberlin Muslim Students Association would suffer a huge setback after their latest push for the creation of an Islamic Studies program. Various departments and academic programs that already experience minimal support from the College could face the possibility of a slow and quiet elimination in the coming years. Granted, this would be a drastic measure to implement on the part of the College, and a more realistic and practical scenario for the moment is the reduction in the number of classes offered to current and future students, while continuing the selective hiring freeze.

With the registration process still arduous for many students, fewer classes would bring about even greater stress and frustration. It will be especially difficult for students vying for class spots in competitive areas like studio art and creative writing. Class sizes would have to be expanded to accommodate more students. This, combined with the hiring freeze, would increase the burden on professors. Students would lose the open discussion of smaller class sizes, and it would make it even harder to seek out professors for guidance and assistance.

Given the current situation, the College and the Board of Trustees need to take a few questions into consideration: Will the College be able to attract future students if various departments are ordered to start cutting back on their curricula? Will current students be greatly affected by fewer professors and classes?

Scarce course offerings would be a major deterrent to prospective college students. To the second question, it should be stressed that tuition, room and board fees are likely to rise to generate more revenue for the College. The added injury of being forced to bend over backwards to enroll in classes may become too taxing for many students.

The loss of academic programs and courses as a method of recouping any budget deficits is short-sighted and will hurt the College in both the short and long term. The College and Board of Trustees would best serve the student body by keeping academic programs intact at all costs.

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