Mac Weekly/Need-Blind/February 11 2005
from the Macalester Public Knowledge Base
Letters to the Editor, Mac Weekly February 11, 2005
Index
- Taking Responsibility for Our Opinions, James Stewart
- Volunteers Welcome at Annual Fund, Cameron Beasley et al
- LB Resolution to Ban Military Recruiters on Campus, Jesse Mortenson
- Conditional Alumni Donations Necessary, William Sentell
- All Participants in in the Need-Blind Decision Deserve Commendation, Jan Serie y co.
Contents |
[edit] Taking Responsibility for Our Opinions
To the Editor,
Last weeks' Hegemon published a "letter" over the supposed signature of Brian Rosenberg that is far too irresponsi- ble to escape response in The Mac Weekly since it undermines Macalester's commit- ment to democratic political discussion.
This "letter's" author hides behind a veil of anonymity. No one can hold him or her personally accountable for vicious, baseless attacks on President Rosenberg and his family, or for writing a letter that can easily be read as flirting with anti- Semitism.
Like our graffiti-writing vandals, anonymity works best for those whose "politics" trash people as well as property. So please don't tell me that the intention of this letter writer was simply "satire." In all but the most repressive of societies, (North Korea, yes, but not Macalester). satirists proudly sign their names.
James B. Stewart
James Wallace Professor of History
[edit] Volunteers Welcome at the Annual Fund
- To the vandals and the custodians who had to scruboff your me$$age,
- To the trustees in Mercedes and the kids on Goodwill bikes,
- To the hotheads and the cool and collected
- To the apathetic and the up-in-arms,
- To the solution-blind, to both sides, and to those who think this is all a waste of time:
This is for you. After witnessing so much misinformation, defamation, accusation, and degradation, we think everybody needs a little education. We think it's about time you learned about us because we are actively working towards a solution in this need-blind/need- aware/I'm right/you're wrong debate. We work in the Annual Fund. Amid the forums, the spray-painting, and die walk- outs, we're making goals, putting in the long hours, and raising money so Macalester won't be in a position to make a decision like mis again. We call up alumni (all 26,205 of mem) and ask mem to give back to the place (hat gave them so much. Because face it, whether you love it or you vandalize it, Macalester has provi- ded and will continue to provide you with unparalled opportunities. If you don't rea- lize this, then you shouldn't be here in the first place.
Considering the number of people passionate about this issue, the phone at the Annual Fund should be ringing off- the-hook with students asking how they can volunteer their time to help raise more money for financial aid. How many have done this? Statistics from the Annual Fund say zero. We challenge every stu- dent at this school to ask how they can work with the institution, not just against it, to make it better. The Annual Fund extension is 6909. Give us a call and help us raise some money.
No one is going to force you to give back to Macalester once you leave. But just remember that some alum who doesn't even know your name has given some of their money to help pay for your financial aid, your favorite professor's salary, or the roof over your head. Wouldn't you do the same for a future Macalester stu- dent? The students who ironically state that they will not donate to this school as alumni or alumnae undermine future Macalester students from having the same privileges. We appreciate what this school has given us and have every inten- tion of giving back.
Whether we like it or not, Macalester, like any other institution, cannot transcend the need that capitalism actualizes. No one wanted to get rid of need-blind. This is not the cruel scheme of money-driven fatcats who eat under- priveteged students for breakfast. And this is not solely about whether Macalester is in a financial crisis. This is about running an institution responsibly and implementing a budget because our system necessitates it. This can be hard to understand for privileged students (and yes, Macalester has many of them) who have never had to pay rent or budget their money, and makes it easy for need-blind defenders to come off as trying to secure their identities as activists. Making this decision was not easy for the Trustees, the President, or anyone else involved, and we thank them for their work.
The bottom line is that this change in policy happened because there wasn't enough money. If Macalester had trillions of dollars to play around with, everybody would get full scholarships and really nice mattresses. Instead, budgets have been tweaked, salaries cut, and positions eliminated. And we over here at the Annual Fantt raised $24 aa^ien while everybody else was dickering.
* Cameron Beasley '07 * Eve M. Cohen'07 * Elizabeth Ho '07 * Claire Marshall '07 * Chelsea Myers '07 * Christina Robinson'07 * Bo Rydze '05 * SherAli Tareen '05 * Martha Truax '07
[edit] Conditional Alumni Donations Necessary
Dear Students,
The trustees' decision to abandon need-blind admissionis disappointing and deplorable, but you should not feel dis- couraged or powerless. As future financial backers of the college, you have the abili- ty to shape Macalester's policies in a real way. What I am suggesting is simple: stu- dents and alums should make their chari- table donations to the college contingent on the reinstatement of the original need- blind policy. A good place to start might be the senior class gift. Instead of raising money to fund a gazebo, like the class of 2004 did, all donations should go into an escrow account.
If, after five years, Macalester rein- states its original need-blind policy, all the money in the escrow account would be given to the college in the form of a single unrestricted gift. If, on the other hand, Macalester chose not to reinstate its need- blind policy, that money in the account would be donated to some local charity.
This idea is not new. In the 1980s, students and alums at Harvard created a separate endowment to protest that university's refusal to divest stocks said to support South Africa's apartheid regime. Harvard eventually divested and the money raised was given to the university.
In a broader sense, doesn't it make sense that we should apply our critical thinking and evaluative skills before we donate our hard-earned money to any charitable organi- zation? If we disagree with an organization's policies, should we really reward it with money that will only further enshrine the same ethically bankrupt policies?
Some officials at the college might react to my proposal by suggesting that students should simply earmark donations for financial aid. Here's my problem with that strate- gy: The money the college takes in is fungible. If I give $1,000 to support financial aid, the college can simply withdraw $1,000 of its own discretionary money from the finan- cial aid budget and spend it on other things, like higher salaries for professors.
It is naive to think that money earmarked for financial aid would provide greater access to Macalester, especially when the current leadership is intent on rejecting needy applicants anyway.
Creating a separate fund or endowment to support access to Macalester would be an extraordinary exercise in grassroots activism. It would highlight the underlying ideolog- ical rift that exists between those who see the college as an engine for social mobility and those who do not. It would serve as a model for students on other campuses who face the same challenges.
But the idea would probably be met with a great deal of skepticism and hostility from some within the administration, especially those with a huge stake in Macalester's short-term financial success. You would have to weigh the costs of waging such a battle against the long-term benefits. A good question to ask yourself is: "What do I want my college to look like in thirty years, long after most of the current decision-makers are gone?" Or as one fellow alumna explained it to me, "would I want to send my children to Macalester, knowing that wealth is viewed as a proxy for success?" <
Finally, you should take comfort in the knowledge that you are supporting a worth- while goal. Whatever you do, I look forward to hearing about your ideas to keep our college a responsible, progressive place.
William Sentell '02
[edit] All Participants in the Need-Blind Decision Deserve Commendation
To The Editor,
We would like to reply to the open letter published in The Mac Weekly on February 4 (page 17) on the college's decision regarding need-blind financial aid. We believe all students, faculty, and staff who participated in the debates and discussion leading up to the Board of Trustees decision should be applauded for their efforts. The process of deliberation by all participants, but especially by the students, who demonstrated impressive care and thoughtfulness in their input, should serve as a model for institu- tional change.
We believe Macalester seriously and actively seeks student input in issues such as this one. For example, there are always two student positions on the RPC, filled by MCSG. During the 16-month process of the RPC deliberations, there were 4 stu- dent members of the RPC, appointed by MCSG. All four of these students played a very active role in considering need-blind admissions. MCSG was briefed on the
RPC need-blind work early in the process, about six months before the Board. There are also student members on the alumni board (which voted unanimously to endorse the RPC recommendations), there were students at the open alumni discussion forums, and students made presentations at the faculty debate on need-blind admissions.
In our judgment, the most effective presentation of student opinion opposed to the change was that put together by DNBAM. All members of the RPC worked closely with the authors of the DNBAM report as they were drafting their report, providing them detailed information about the financial models that the RPC was using. This was intended to enable them to make the most powerful critique possible of the RPC report.
DNBAM produced a report that is a credit both to the authors and the student body as a whole. This report was taken very seriously. The authors addressed a faculty meet- ing as they were drafting their report and, when the report was issued, the RPC was asked to respond to it both at a faculty meeting and to the Board. The DNBAM authors addressed a plenary session of the Board before their vote.
The DNBAM recommendations were not accepted by the Board, but were consid- ered carefully and seriously. Before the Board meeting, Danny Kaplan communicated what he saw as the shortcomings of their report to the DNBAM authors so that they would be in a position to directly respond to them.
We feel President Rosenberg deserves the thanks of the entire community for lead- ing such an open and respectful deliberative process on this important issue. He active- ly sought the input of students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and carefully listened to their views. Remarkably, he provided the DNBAM group the opportunity to brief the Board directly and at length. The DNBAM authors acknowledge that both the president and the full board had read and considered their views carefully. The Board had clearly indicat- ed in September that they had reached consensus. It was Brian Rosenberg who urged them to delay so that they could hear directly from groups such as DNBAM before mak- ing a decision.
The deliberative process regarding financial .aid is on-going/and will require the insight and energy of the entire community as we try to insure the future health of Macalester while making it as accessible as possible to people of limited financial means. Students need to continue to play a major role in this process, from the inside through MCSG, student representatives on the RPC, and reasoned deliberation and pub- lic debate initiated by individuals and groups such as DNBAM.
- Jan Serie, Biology
- Andrew Latham, Political Science
- Toni Dorca, Hispanic Studies
- Tom Vaiberg, Chemistty
- Karine Moe, Economics
- Jim Stewart, Histeay
- "Bay Boychuk, Sociology
- Dan Hombach, Biology
- PetE Peiderer, Economics
- Davki Lanegran, Geogiaphy
- Kad Egge, Economics
- Ahmed Samatar, International Studies
- Adrienne Christiansen, Political Science
- Frank Adier, Political Science
- Michael Schneider, Math/Computer Science
- Arjun Guneratne, Anthropology
- David Bressoud, MEah/Conqxiter Science
- Mariorie Menyman, Music
- Ed Fomer, Emeritus Professor of Music
- Susan Fox, Math & Computer Sdence
- Maric Davis, Biology
- Cadeton Macy, Music
