PANIC: New Budget Cuts

There has been a lot of discussion the past week or two regarding the lack of "new student college deposits."

Vocabulary
New Student College Deposit - n - a $500 deposit that students pay to the school, showing their intent to attend St. Mary's. A student who makes this deposit generally attends the school, but some may "melt" and never attend.

The Issue
These deposits are a really good indicator of how many students are actually going to show up in August. This year the school got a lot of applications (in part due to the new Common Application, which makes applying to SMCM as easy as "checking a box") and the college accepted a good number of students. The issue is that not enough students have "accepted" St. Mary's as their choice, resulting in a lower than expected number of "new student college deposits."

Apparently this shortfall comes in the form of about 150~ less deposits than previous years (including last year, which already had a shortfall). The school was looking for around 124~ more in-state and 24~ more out of state students to submit these "new students college deposits," indicating their intent to attend SMCM.

The fallout
This represents, according to indicators, a budget shortfall of approximately $3.5Million.

(Math? 150~ x $23,000 = $3,500,000~)

This is, obviously, a lot of money. And it is going to have a big impact on several areas of campus (more on that later~) and departments and positions. Faculty and Staff had meetings this week where they were briefed with this new information, which has obviously upset many. The new budget (one where $3.5Million has been cut) is being taken to the Board of Trustees this Friday.

How did this happen?
Apparently (according to Anonymous [still don't know who that dude is but they seem to have a lot of opinions]) Urgo has blamed the lack of enrollment on "failures of facilities and faculty curriculum, but it has nothing to do with changes to admissions in the past two years." Could this be the ghost of Rich Edgar, haunting admissions and causing this to happen? Could this be the result of sacking Rich Edgar and Lisa Crowe last year?

"Failures of facilities and faculty curriculum" seems like a tough sell (hello, let's also take a moment to recognize that this quote may not necessarily be accurate nor correct). When students apply to a college, how much do they look into the specifics of the faculty and curriculum? I feel that there is only so much that a prospective student can know without actually sitting in on a classroom, which very few do (or maybe a lot do this, IDK). Does "the failures of facilities" refer to the various mold incidents over the past years (really decades...)? The "Mold Ship" got SMCM a ton of press #allpressisgoodpress.

What about admissions then? According to students working at the admissions office some "early admission" (I did this!) prospective students received their letters of admission until later than usual. Additionally, these students have stated that "counselors have been encouraged to go to private institutions rather than public."

But why? Could it be at the request of Maureen Silva, new (2010) Vice President for Advancement (AKA fundraising) for the college? It's no secret that more rich people go to private high schools, and rich people are probably more likely to give money to the college. Could this shift be part of this issue?

Theory: More public high school students view SMCM as a reach school, whereas more private high school students view SMCM as a safety school. This could explain the lack of students accepting their admission into SMCM. But this is just a theory, one based in stereotypes and assumptions.

Impact
So what does this impact? A lot of things. Less money means smaller budgets. According to the same Anonymous from above (who appears to be "in the know") and other "sources"the following may be cut

• No new staff positions
• No visiting professors
• No sabbaticals 
• Boyden Gallery will be closed 
• No cost of living adjustments for staff
• Staff job cuts
• Other cuts that will be made throughout the summer

 And a staff that once again feels like they have very little input.

Solution
Is there a solution? Maybe "don't fix what ain't broke" #southernsayings. 

The faculty is obviously upset. They want to delay the voting so that there can be faculty input.

Something clearly went wrong here.

You should be
Mad? Scared? Angry? Disappointed. This is all really disappointing and I hope it does not lead to further big changes. I really just want an explanation.

Note:
This is long. I did not proofread. Some of this information may be inaccurate. Comment with thoughts, corrections, etc. <3 br="">

Senior Gala/College Prom Omnibus Guide!

Senior Gala (AKA College Prom) is coming up soon! A magical night of dancing and drinking with your fellow students and professors. It's a pretty pricey event though, so here is a guide to sneaking in, as I did circa 2010:

How to sneak into Gala

• Don't arrive early, and make sure it is dark outside! That way when people with flashlights try to follow and apprehend you, it will be more difficult and you can escape
• Don't try to go through the main entrance. walk around the whole perimeter until you find a quiet area to sneak into
• Act confident
• If you are worried that the people behind you with flashlights are trying to kick you out, just keep walking and blend in with the crowd
• Dress fancy
• Pregame to the extent that you are comfortable with sneaking into a $70 event, but no so much that you will be stumbling around

Just when is Gala? The date and location has changed over the years, let's look at a quick recap

• 2010 - At the Brome Howard Inn, starting around 8PM?
• 2011 -  At the Brome Howard Inn, starting around 8PM going until 12AM (idk I bought a lot of those lil' drink tickets)
• 2012 - The location changes to Maggie O'Brien's house, time remains the same. Location probably changed because Brome Howard Inn employees didn't feel like cleaning up until 4AM. Nearby residents complained about a large bacchanalia occurring on a Thursday night, so this location was not used again
• 2013 - Back to the Brome Howard, but now it starts earlier? 7-11 so that there is more clean up time.

IDK how accurate that is, but for staff and professors the Gala goes until the next morning apparently #typos

What to do at Gala

• Get a plate full of shrimp, walk over to a log overlooking the river, and proceed to spend half an hour eating shrimp by yourself
• Dance with Bob Paul
• Take a limo there
• Confess your affections to First Year crushes
• Dance
• Drink
• Cry over the fact that you graduate in 36 hours

Enjoy seniors!!!

Unpopular Opinion

I hate midnight breakfast

Because of one incident

Never forget

May Day!

:3

32.15% of Students are Shitheads

Recently the SGA held a referendum to change the language of the SGA Constitution from gender-specific pronouns to gender-neutral pronouns. Any change to the Constitution must be voted on by the student body #democracy.

What are gender-neutral pronouns? These are pronouns that do not refer to any gender (duh). Traditionally people have used "he" to refer to all people (for example, "Any student that wishes to start a club may do so. He must submit his club proposal by the Sunday before the next meeting") because it's easy and because of patriarchy (probably).

Why does this matter?

• Using the default "he" to refer to all people reinforces patriarchy
• Some individuals do not identify with he or she pronouns and do not feel comfortable with gender-specific language in documents such as this
• This is an easy and obvious way to make the campus more inclusive of all people

Why would someone vote against this?
I don't know. Maybe they are a transphobic sexist shithead. That is the only rationale I can think of for voting against this, as 217 St. Mary's students chose to do. This isn't just "liberal political correctness," it's something that affects people daily. Language is powerful.

This is, obviously, the Freedom of Conscience statue (AKA the Naked Man), dedicated for the 300th anniversary of Maryland. Freedom of Conscience is the ability to view and consider something from point of view of another. Maybe this change doesn't affect you. It doesn't really affect me. But it does affect some people, so try not being an asshole and recognize that fact. That's what a 'liberal arts' education is all about, broadening your horizons and experiencing the world from multiple perspectives.

If you chose to vote against this feel free to explain why in the comments.

Way too hungover for this 8AM

Last 8AM of the semester

Last 8AM of my life

No more waking up at 7:50 to get to my 8AM

No more sitting in a daze, not sure what is going on

No more professors realizing that everyone is hungover and putting on a movie for us

Instead just

Waking up at the 5:30AM-7AM range

Going to work hungover

Still have to 'get the job done' tho

Still gotta make that "scrill" ($$$)

Can't wait for my internship/entry level position/job my dadmom got me

Probably not related to my major but YOLO liberal arts~

Gonna put some SMCM memorabilia on my desk

Maybe a pennant/flag ???

Wear a SMCM sweater (crewneck) on casual fridays in the winter

~well i guess this is growing up~

remember the 90s ???

Student Steals a Case of Monster (a drink i guess???) from the Delivery Man

According to a 'tweet' from @harmanj22 a student stole an entire case of Monster, causing the delivery man to leave a note.

Editor Note: Apparently 'Monster' is an energy drink. It appears to be a non-alcoholic version of 4Loko. Not sure what the point of it is.

PRETTY SHITTY MOVE ON YOUR PART, ANONYMOUS STUDENT.

I like that he signed his name CokeMan.

Also, if you are somehow able to afford St. Mary's but not caffeine, buy some caffeine pills. $5.99 for the equivalent of a hundred energy drinks. http://www.amazon.com/Natrol-Caffeine-200mg-Tablets-100-Count/dp/B000OPV118/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366907282&sr=8-2&keywords=caffeine

There is no excuse for this.

Changes to the Great Room

There were a lot of changes to the Great Room decided a few months ago that I never reported on due to laziness but the most important one is that you will no longer be able to swipe in friends. This really sucks, a lot. I think this was one of the best ways to foster community on campus.

Swiping - v - The act of purchasing two meal entries into the Great Room with a single student I.D. card. Generally younger students swipe in older students (who have smaller meal plans) or visiting friends/lovers. "Hey...would you mind swiping me in? You have way more 'blocks' than you could ever use."

I know that personally I got smaller meal plans every year, and by my senior year I didn't even get a meal plan. Instead I would rely on younger folks to swipe me in. It was a great system, I get food, and they get to eat with someone old/cool/knowledgeable. I made a few friends this way, and it definitely helped me to bond with the younger members of my club sports team.

In most every society eating is a social activity (anthropology majors back me up, there is even a anthro course that is all about food), and the swipe system really helped to facilitate this. It can be hard for First Years to feel comfortable interacting with seniors, but the simple act of 'swiping' the two are suddenly on the same level, a symbiotic relationship, trading food for booze and parties.

I definitely see Bon Appetit's point of view on this. No one is supposed to actually use all those blocks. That's how they make their money. If everyone buys meal plans that exceed what they plan to eat, then they make a profit. If not, they will probably lose money.

The end of an era. I really wish I was eating in the great room right now (via making your own lunch every day sucks sometimes).

If the administration is serious about improving "community" on campus, then hopefully they will realize that this will only further divide the campus.

Tiki Bar

Tiki Bar opens today! Really wish I could have taken off work to be down there, I don't think I've ever actually gone to opening day but it sounds like a fun time/shitshow.

Actually the only time I've gone to Tiki Bar is sailing back home after Gov Cup. Those were easily some of the best fruity island drinks I have ever had. All were just very delicious and alcoholic.

Edit: Wow meant to post this last week but forgot?

FREE PIZZA ALERT 4/18/2013

THERE WILL BE FREE PIZZA (St. James Pizza, which is some of the best pizza ever, especially the Buffalo Chicken [buff chix] kind) in Goodpastor 185. There is some sort of a presentation about grad school??? idk but there is free pizza