College Institutes Hiring Freeze Alongside Budget Cuts

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She specifically mentioned on-campus speaker events as sources of potential cuts, at least for academic departments. “We do have an awful lot of speakers who come to campus and a very large number of events that are often not particularly well attended,” she said.

Elliott suggested that the number of events on campus might not necessarily decrease, but they may become “less lavish.”

When asked for other examples of the kinds of things that might be cut, he said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if I.T. says, ‘Here’s some technology that we’re supporting that actually not that many people on campus are ac- tually using.’”

The budget cuts are likely to affect different parts of the college’s operation differently. Elliott pointed toward the dining services division as one that might have difficulty cutting 15 percent, due to the especially high levels of inflation in food prices.

“We’re not going to reduce our food operation,” Elliott said, though he conceded that some items at Val might be discontinued.

The impacts of the cuts will also vary among academic departments. Some departments have accrued large, department-specific endowed funds from alumni donations that provide financial cushion against the cuts.

Professor Mark Marshall, co-chair of the chemistry de- partment, told The Student that his department would not make any spending cuts and would instead make up the difference with a greater infusion from its endowed fund — which is the largest of any academic department.

Alternatively, Professor Michael Ching, chair of the math department, said that financing the cuts from his department’s endowment would not be “sustainable.” He also said, though, that his department was in a better position than many because a large share of its budget is salaries for student graders and Teaching Assistants, which will remain untouched. He said that community-building events for majors might have to be scaled back to meet the budget cuts. Epstein said it was possib- le that departments with larger endowed funds would be asked to bear greater burdens, in an effort to “redistribute” money across the departments. Generally, Epstein said that she hoped that direct instructional expenses would be maintained, with cuts being made outside the classroom.

It is clear that this will not be possible in all cases. Professor Karen Koehler, chair of the Department of Art and History of Art, said that the cuts were forcing the department to find new ways to source the art supplies it provides to all students who take studio classes — whether that means buying more in bulk or changing suppliers. She maintained that these changes would not fundamentally change the student experience.

Epstein said that it appeared that most departments would be able to make the cuts.

“Only one [academic] department has come to me so far and said, ‘I don't know how we can do this,’” she said, but would not say which one.

She emphasized that the fiscal year 2024 budget process remained a “work in progress.”

This is especially true for non-academic departments like dining, athletics, student affairs, and admissions. Representatives from those departments indicated that it was too soon in the process to gauge the impact of the budget process.

Regardless, all departments will have to find a way to make the numbers work before the final budget proposal to the trustees in May.