Students'/Alums' Take on Swarthmore

Colleges and Universities A-Z Swarthmore College
181

<p>
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Surely, there must be other complaints of far greater consequence or more important things that need improvement. How about sharing those?

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</p>

<p>Every college and university has areas of desired improvement, limited by finite budgets. Schools with larger per student budgets tend to have fewer areas of dire need; those with lower per student budgets have more areas.</p>

<p>The way to look at what a college perceives as its needs is to review its own self-study planning documents, often prepared in conjunction with an accreditation cycle. Or, just look at where the college is spending its money.</p>

<p>For example, in the last few years, Swarthmore has invested significant money in a new Science Center, a compete renovation of Parrish Hall, and two new dormitories (to replace less desireable housing). They have spend significant money on new academic programs, specifically in Arabic and Middle Eastern studies. And, they have signficantly increased financial aid tuition discounting, most recently an across the board end to student loans for all current and future Swarthmore students.</p>

<p>These are clearly the top priorities of the College in deciding what areas of improvement to address.</p>

182

<p>interesteddad,</p>

<p>Thank you! For me, that type of information is far more helpful and interesting so I appreciate that you have taken the time to share it.</p>

183

<p>dramatica:</p>

<p>If you look at a longer period of time (say over the last decade or so), one of the major areas that Swarthmore (and other colleges) have beefed up is in student services, specifically services and structures to support a much more diverse student body.</p>

<p>For example, Swarthmore now has deans specifically tasked with interaction with every cultural and gender and orientation group on campus. There are many resources available to assist a much wider range of incoming students than in the past when the student body was more homogeneous in high school experience. These are investment areas that the traditional affluent white suburban student as these schools might not even think about.</p>

<p>The Student Academic Mentor program, the highly-acclaimed Writing Associates program, the organized study group assistance in some departments, the winter break study skills seminar and so forth are all relatively new academic support functions.</p>

<p>Likewise, spending on psych services has gone thru the roof nationally, not because of an increase in kids who need some help, but because of much more aggressive outreach by colleges to identify and encourage students to get help over rough patches.</p>

<p>Another area where Swarthmore outspends its competition is in faculty pay and benefits. It's school policy to keep faculty salaries at least 102% of the average of a group of elite colleges. Plus, Swarthmore has the most generous leave policy: full paid semester leave for all tenure and tenure track faculty after every three years of teaching.</p>

184

<p>BTW, I want to comment on this "card entry issue".</p>

<p>In reality, this system is simply a different version of a dorm key. Instead of using your dorm key to get in, you use an electronic card. Neither provides inherently more security. Neither is any more or less prone to being lost or stolen. If anything, the way card swipe entry cards are implemented at most small colleges, any student with any card can enter any dorm at any time. This univeral access is actually LESS secure than a dorm specific key.</p>

<p>Is spending the money to convert (on a campus that has essentially zero crime) really buying additional security? Or is it just a "follow the herd" issue?</p>

<p>Wouldn't a much greater security improvement be achieved by students not propping the doors open 24/7?</p>

185

<p>dramatica:</p>

<p>Information about the College's spending can be found in each year's annual Financial Report.</p>

<p>Here's the link to the most recent year:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.swarthmore.edu/Admin/investment_office/FinancialRpt_06-07.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.swarthmore.edu/Admin/investment_office/FinancialRpt_06-07.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>And the section on spending:</p>

<p>
[quote]
Faculty and staff compensation
(salaries plus benefits) continued to
constitute the largest portion of College
expenses at 55 percent in
2006–2007. The College has continued
to meet its compensation goals
for both faculty and staff and has
maintained compensation at competitive
levels with respect to
comparison groups. Fringe benefits
amounted to 32 percent of salaries.
This percentage has increased in
recent years, reflecting both cost
pressures in such areas as health
insurance as well as the College’s
commitment to improving its
employee retirement contribution. In
2006–2007, the College attained its
target of providing a contribution to
employee retirement accounts equivalent
to 10 percent of an employee’s
salary each year.</p>

<p>The remainder of the College’s
expenditures was for items other
than compensation. Interest and
depreciation amounted to 12 percent
of expenditures. Other hard-tocontrol
expenses, such as utilities,
taxes, insurance, and life income
payments, amounted to 7 percent.</p>

<p>These costs when added to compensation
therefore amounted to almost
three-fourths of all expenditures,
limiting the flexibility in the College’s
budget. Each year, the budget is constructed
with input from every
department. Although inflation is
taken into account, the College does
not give across-the-board increases
to departments but rather allocates
funds to unavoidable cost increases,
compelling needs, and high priority
projects. In 2006–2007, the College
had to address cost pressures in several
areas. These included utility cost
increases driven by higher energy
prices, technology staffing needs and
maintenance contract increases,
increases in the cost of library materials,
costs of admissions outreach
programs and communications initiatives,
and increased insurance
premiums and audit fees. The third
of a four-year/four-step process to
build ongoing funding for the technology
infrastructure (computer
hardware and software and the campus
network and phone system) was
implemented. These funds enabled
the College to replace its antiquated
phone system in summer 2006.</p>

<p>In addition to funds for technology,
the College budget also has a
facilities capital budget. Major projects
completed over the past year
included installation of air conditioning
in Sharples Dining Hall,
renovation of the Underhill Music
Library, and renovation of Art
Department studio space. Construction
on David Kemp Hall, a new
residence hall located adjacent to its
companion Alice Paul ’05 Hall,
began in 2006. This new residence
hall will house 75 students and open
in the fall of 2008. These new beds
will enable the College to reduce
overcrowding in other residence
halls, replace some less desirable
rooms, and meet the high demand
for students to live on campus.

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</p>

186

<p>ID, I don't really have any strong opinion on the card entry issue, but I guess the point of it is that students can come to visit their friends in other dorms. Having this system would probably eliminate propping of the doors that is commonly done today. Making a master key would accomplish the same, though it would make the dorms less secure with more people gaining access... (Card system, I guess, would registers who is coming in, so if there is a problem, it can be traced to the card holder.)</p>

187

<p>
[quote]
Your imagination would lead you astray. There are nationally administered surveys about alcohol consumption used by virtually every college, including the 31 elite college members of COFHE.

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Jesus Effing Christ, how many times are you going to bring up this irrelevant, unusable survey? I've said it before, and I'll say it again; it doesn't measure all of the top LACs and its data is not available for us to look at.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Swarthmore's surveys binge drinking rates have historically been at the low end of the scale, similar to the women's colleges (such as Smith) and west coast schools (such as Pomona) in the low 30% range. The national average is 44%. There are "top" New England liberal arts colleges well above the national averages in the low to mid 50% range.

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So, what you're saying is that Swarthmore falls somewhere in the middle of the road for top LACs (whose average as a group is below the national 44% average)? That it's not extremely far up or down on the scale but that, yes, some colleges have a higher binge drinking rate? Wow, thanks for the news!</p>

<p>
[quote]
The quality of life for a low to moderate drinker is very different at a school where only 30% of students have been "binge drinking" in a two week period and 50% to 60% of the students. These quality of life indicators are very clear in the Harvard studies comparing low binge drinking schools to high binge drinking schools.

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Yet somehow you've managed to obfuscate it.</p>

188

<p>Card entry - again not make or break for our family, one of a list of items. It is a large up-front investment - an investment most of Swarthmore's competitors seem to think important. Another thought - costs much more to rekey a dorm if a master key is lost than simply replacing the magnetic cards - and, yes, this does happen.</p>

<p>I agree with many of the latest posts - so much of this discussion is becoming trivial. As posted above, Swarthmore chooses to spend money on other areas which are obviously important to the students who choose to attend. Every college will prioritize spending in different ways; every college will have its own laundry list of items that need attention. It is important for prospective students and families to research your options carefully and make sure you agree with the college's spending philosophy.</p>

189

<p>
[quote]
So, what you're saying is that Swarthmore falls somewhere in the middle of the road for top LACs (whose average as a group is below the national 44% average)? That it's not extremely far up or down on the scale but that, yes, some colleges have a higher binge drinking rate? Wow, thanks for the news!

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</p>

<p>Nope. Wrong on both counts. There's no evidence to suggest that top LACs are below the national averages. To the contrary, leaning rural and residential, the LACs are probably above the national averages.</p>

<p>Swarthmore (and the other colleges I mentioned) are at the low end of binge drinking rates nationally. Not towards the middle.</p>

<p>You can dismiss the surveys all you want. However, the Harvard School of Public Health research on college drinking has been conducting the national survey on college drinking for fifteen years now. Why use professional research when you can just wing it, right?</p>

<p>There are many characteristics of Swarthmore that correlate with low binge drinking rates. Urban location and substantial non-white enrollment being two of the bigger factors.</p>

190

<p>
[quote]
Having this system would probably eliminate propping of the doors that is commonly done today.

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</p>

<p>I doubt it. My guess is that the doors are propped open primarily because the students can't be bothered to carry their dorm key. I can't think of any reason why they would be any more likely to carry their magnetic cards.</p>

191

<p>My 2 cents worth: I use a proximity card on a daily basis. The card is easily programmable to allow the card carrier access only to certain secure areas. If a door is propped open an alarm goes off and security is summoned. If Swat would finally do the right thing and spend a measily $1M of their stash of money it would be a significant improvement in the physical security of the campus. I'm not aware of any other cohort institution that doesn't have proximity cards. Obviously Swat would rather ensure a generous compensation package for its faculty (doesn't a full professor at Swat make in excess of $140 k for less than a year of work?) than increase physical security for their students. One of the factors for families to consider when picking a college.</p>

<p>Dramatica: Given that approximately 40% of my professional charges is never collected or goes to indigent care, do you think Swat would waive the fees I pay for my student? Not. Swat is interested in very concrete cold cash ...</p>

192

<p>
[quote]
The card is easily programmable to allow the card carrier access only to certain secure areas.

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</p>

<p>But, they aren't programmed that way at LACs that have card entry systems. They are programmed so that every card provides access to every dorm.</p>

<p>You say that Swarthmore could increase physical security for students, but I can't remember the last time a Swarthmore student has been injured by an assault in a dorm. Not in the last ten years.</p>

193

<p>Interested Dad:</p>

<p>One of the many LACs I visited specifically sited a policy to allow all students access to all dorms until approximately 11pm on the weekdays and 2am on the weekends. The point being that their is tremendous flexibility using this system compared to the antiquated manual key system. Besides, there are additional advantages such as reconstructing situations as occurred recently at Williams (some student putting up posters of Hitler on dorm rooms was apparently identified based on her proximity card activity). Even though an assault may not have happened in the last decade at Swat, could Virginia Tech and other institutions have said the same? Proximity cards aren't a panacea but simply a prudent step in the times we live in.</p>

194

<p>
[quote]
could Virginia Tech and other institutions have said the same?

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At Virginia Tech and other institutions the shootings were done by the current students - nothing a proximity cards would've solved.
(Again, I have nothing against them in principle, but I can see why they are not a priority for a school with virtually zero crime...)</p>

195

<p>After I had sent my last post I realized I picked a poor analogy. My apology. A better analogy are the recently reported interactions in Swat dorms with presumed non-students, including apparently a bathroom scenario while someone was in the shower. There is no such thing as a perfect security system but Swat would be well advised to pony up the funds for a proximity system. This has apparently been considered by their board several times but turned down. I keep telling my child that if I win the lottery (which I don't play so little chance of winning ...) I would be happy to give the cool $1m for a proximit card-as long as they name it after me ;). How does security by starch sound?</p>

196

<p>I am not familiar with the incident with the shower. My guess would be that it was someone's guest. (Many students are letting their non-Swat visiting friends to sleep over.)</p>

<p>"Security by Starch" sounds good. I'd say go for it!</p>

197

<p>"On Nov. 23, 2006, an intruder allegedly barged in on a female Parrish resident while she was taking a shower. Two similar intrusions occured in Parrish in August of the same year and April of the previous year. In response to the string of incidents, keypad and traditional locks have been installed on the doors to the residential areas of Parrish. This looks like a trend with management of security at Swarthmore — an issue reaches critical mass, then is resolved to some degree of success."</p>

<p>Doesn't sound as innocuous as one would hope ...</p>

198

<p>Parish is the only building that houses both dorms and offices, so there are non-students wandering around. I am glad they finally separated the residential areas with some locks...</p>

199

<p>
[quote]
Besides, there are additional advantages such as reconstructing situations as occurred recently at Williams (some student putting up posters of Hitler on dorm rooms was apparently identified based on her proximity card activity).

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Williams student Julia Cordray was able to paper seven dorms with Hitler's birthday celebration posters because her magnetic card allowed her uncontrolled access to ALL Williams College dorms...something that would not be possible with Swarthmore's "antiquated" key lock system.</p>

200

<p>

I'm going to keep dismissing surveys that you bring up because, so far, zero working links have been provided. You just cite figures without any sort of data to back them up, sort of like how you cited a Phoenix article which, when investigated, did not actually back up what you said at all. If you want to bring up a survey to support your claims, you should at least provide the data or a working link. You should also be sure the survey applies to what's being discussed. For instance, the COFHE does not, and never has in the entirety of this thread. So, the onus is on you to show us how these surveys back you up -- with usable links to actual data -- and not on me to just accept you know what you're talking about. Because, when it comes to day to day campus life at Swarthmore and the experience of being a student at Swarthmore, you definitely don't know what you're talking about, and I'm pretty sure many (if not all) of the actual students and alumni here would agree.</p>