As Smith students, what are the downsides?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Smith College
21

<p>I discussed such matters in the “pro and con” post, but I agree on much of what’s listed in this thread. To add to a few points:</p>

<ul>
<li>bureaucracy: the main problem I’ve had with this is the housing services. Just awful! So many recent horror stories about housing sign-up disasters. Not a huge deal, other than that. </li>
<li>sloooooowww housing renovations. Not a big deal for people in some houses, especially the quad, but it sucks if your house has bats or the titles in your bathroom are falling off.</li>
<li> About ticklemepink’s third point on the budget: I think there is still a LOT of controversy about Smith’s budget priorities due to the economic crisis. Many humanities majors complain about being shafted. I sympathize with them, but I’m not sure what to think. Science departments in general are very expensive to maintain. Take labs, for instance. You need lots of expensive equipment, not to mention TAs. Labs are required for majors and graduate programs, so Smith has to make the necessary investment. However, I’ve spent a fair amount of time in the science buildings, and some of the equipment seems rather unnecessary and indulgent. Should some of that money instead have been spent on retaining a professor in a struggling department? Perhaps.</li>
</ul>

22

<p>Small colleges like Smith depend more on tuition than do universities with larger endowments and more grant money flowing in to support faculty research. They do not have large enough endowments. I cracked up (before crying) when I got the letter that Smith was raising tuition “only 4.8 %” because of the economy. LACs suffer the most in times like this, and those paying tuition do as well. A real downside. </p>

<p>The new Ford science building was contracted before the economy went south, so that had to be finished. But more “optional” projects such as house renovation and faculty hiring can be put off. I hope that Smithies realize that their alma mater depends on their annual giving.</p>