The Scarlet & Black

The Independent Student News Site of Grinnell College

The Scarlet & Black

The Scarlet & Black

Staff Ed: For trustee consideration

With the current financial situation, it is reasonable that the school has to reduce its budget for the upcoming school year. While certain miscellaneous items can be cut, items directly related to the education of the students must not be cut because Grinnell is, first and foremost, a place for higher learning.

There need to be enough qualified professors in every department for students to have the small-class liberal arts experience that they were promised. To ensure all domestic students can comfortably complete their education, 100 percent need-based financial aid must be met.

The administration has done a good job of planning to increase the financial aid budget by 15 percent; however, there is no guarantee that the budget will be enough support for students. The FAFSA computes the previous year’s income and earnings, but for many families the financial situation has changed.

We can endure the current economic conditions better than other colleges because even with a $400 million dollar loss, the school continues to have a higher per-student endowment than its peer institutions.

We ask the trustees to exercise financial caution when approving the budget because according to the college mission statement: “The College exists to provide a lively academic community of students and teachers of high scholarly qualifications from diverse social and cultural circumstances.”

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