OPINIONS
A Call for Transparency
How Financial Cuts are Affecting the College Experience
BY THE GETTYSBURGIAN EDITORIAL BOARD
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t is impossible not to notice. It comes up in class, in line at Bullet, during club meetings. Students wonder, “Why do we no longer have this?” Gettysburg is not unique in facing financial distress, nor is it something new. This was true before the pandemic as colleges faced the “demographic cliff,” a large drop-off in the number of college-age students. Of course, the pandemic only worsened higher education financial conditions with enrollment drop-offs, little revenue from housing and meal plans and increased costs of COVID mitigation. However, this semester, the aftershocks of COVID seem to be looming more than ever before. It is no longer something heard about distantly and confined within Penn Hall. It is rippling across all aspects of the student experience. As the things we love about Gettysburg are changed and cut, the tension between students and the administration has increased, and everyone can feel it. One of Gettysburg’s greatest draws for students is close knit connections with faculty and professors. When we first toured Gettysburg College, we heard about the 9:1 student-faculty ratio and the average class size of 17. While those statistics remain true, the College has made other
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changes that have affected students’ and professors’ abilities to form those connections. First, the College has implemented a hiring freeze for tenured professors. This leaves some of the most popular majors with bigger classes and less department stability. As tenured professors take on the bulk of advising, there are now professors who have upwards of 40 advisees. Those professors are then unable to form close relationships with their advisees or must cut their class preparation or research time to accommodate their advisees. Neither option is positive for students or professors. The 9:1 student to faculty ratio becomes irrelevant when your advisor has 40 other advisees. Have the professors been paid more for their increased workloads? No. Salaries were frozen for two years, and some benefits had been reduced. While we are grateful to attend a school where students care about their professors and professors care about their students, students are deeply affected by the changes made to the professors’ positions. We can hear their concerns about recent shifts in policies as well. While students are here to learn, we also need to eat and live on campus. Recent financial changes have made it difficult for some
basic living needs to be met. Gettysburg takes pride in—and openly advertises—the fact that we have consistently been ranked in the top 20 for many years for our food. This semester, due to service staffing shortages, especially at the Bullet Hole, food options have been significantly limited. Root, the salad bar, and Pi, the pasta option, have significantly cut their options. The Dive, the healthy food option, is closed until further notice. There are other options for students to choose from, but students with dietary needs have far fewer choices. Almost all pre-made meal salads have animal or gluten products. As more dining options have closed, lines have become longer. As of Feb. 13, Bullet will be closing one hour earlier in the evenings. The staff is often overwhelmed, performing many duties at once to keep up with the demand. At peak rush, long lines make the “grab-and-go” option incredibly inefficient. In a time of turmoil, we understand that changes have to be made. There will be sacrifices across the board, but we should not be sacrificing the key elements that make students, staff, and alumni love Gettysburg. Students have already sacrificed years of our college experience. We paid tuition while sitting in our childhood bedrooms. We understand that the campus will never be what it was before COVID.
