Need-blind admissions end

Back in 1993, the General Faculty knew the day would come when they could not offer need-blind admissions to students. After five years of putting off the inevitable, Oberlin College finally enforced its need-sensitive financial aid policy, leaving the days of need-blind admissions by the waste side.

Last year's overspending served as a reality check for the College when the financial aid budget ballooned by an unanticipated $1.4 million. The College stared the same problem in the face this year in the more manageable form of a $600,000 budget overage.

With the bottom line continuing to not add up, College President Nancy Dye announced in December's college faculty meeting that the College would have to enforce its already existing financial aid guidelines. "I'm sorry to say this. It pains me. Left to my own devices I would insist on fully need-based financial system. But we cannot continue in the way we are going," said Dye.

According to Dye, Oberlin's financial aid problems are part of a larger epidemic facing most institutions of higher education. An increased percentage of colleges and universities are attracting students with merit-based scholarships and grants. Dye said, "The financial aid universe is dead. Gone. No longer exists. It is being replaced by two other approaches."

The Conservatory and General faculty dealt with the financial aid problem in successive meetings in February. Vice President of Finance Andy Evans informed the Conservatory Faculty that they would need to trim their financial aid budget by $100,000. Evans explained that the change would not mean that the Conservatory must turn away the most talented students. Instead, need-sensitive admissions affects marginal students who are deeper down in the talent pool.

"We are only asking to take the one that can afford to pay rather than the one that cannot afford to pay. It's really crass, but that's what we have to do," said Evans.

At the General Faculty meeting in February, the financial aid problem issue took on a whole new form when Dye proposed offering more merit-based aid in order to remain competitive with other comparable institutions.

Dye said, "As we lose students who can or will pay to come here, it becomes clear that the economic diversity of the student body provides equity," Dye said. "If we lose that diversity, it may sound paradoxical, but we'll become more dependent on tuition to provide scholarship money. So offering some merit aid can help provide more need-based merit aid."

The questions remains: how will these changes in financial aid affect students? It doesn't take much vision to see that this new policy contradicts Oberlin's traditions of inclusiveness, openness and diversity. In addition to threatening diversity, some people - particularly those in the Conservatory - fear the move to need-sensitivity will give Oberlin less ability to attract top students.

Debates over financial aid had significant effects upon the College. Former Dean of the Conservatory Karen Wolff resigned in December amidst her opposition to the slowing-down of financial aid spending. Conservatory admissions relies heavily upon healthy financial aid packages to attract the most talented students.

Mike Manderen, director of Conservatory admissions, said music schools often compete for top students with scholarships. "The switch is going to make it very difficult to compete for the students we'd like to have," he said.

The college will also feel the impact of the new financial aid polices. Director of college admissions Deborah Chermonte said that when borderline cases come up, she might bring up the applicants' ability to pay. "There is somewhat of an emphasis on ability to pay when it comes to marginally qualified students," she said. Chermonte said that this year about 3 to 5 percent of applicants were in that borderline category.

Director of Financial Aid Brian Lindeman summed up the difficulty with financial aid. "Everyone agrees that the ideal situation is that we admit students regardless of need. We've come to a point where that ideal is no longer possible," Lindeman said. "I'd rather be able to meet the need of students we admit."