On February 20th, Harvard students gathered in front of Massachusetts Hall to demand $250,000 of increased funding from the University to support student life. In an interview with the Crimson, Undergraduate Council President Gus Mayopolous noted that “[President Drew Faust]…didn’t necessarily think that it was realistic that the UC should expect this money to fall out of the sky.”
But recently, $150 million did just that.
Indeed, hedge fund manager Kenneth Griffin’s unprecedented donation to Harvard College—at least $125 million of which is to be devoted to the financial aid program—is a celebratory event. We are fortunate to have a number of wealthy alumni who recognize how crucial the financial aid initiative is. Harvard does much to ensure that its accepted students have no trouble getting to Cambridge. It’s once we’re here that the trouble begins.
While students on financial aid generally do not have to worry about the essential costs of attending Harvard—textbooks, tuition, travel fees, room and board, some student events—the College does much less to ameliorate the subtler discrepancies that divide the haves and have-nots. Many club sports, for instance, have high barriers to participation due to tournament fees, travel, uniforms, and equipment. The per-player cost of attending a prestigious tournament in San Diego for the women’s Ultimate Frisbee team this February pushed $900. Yet the Undergraduate Council could only fund the team no more than a fraction of the total cost of one tournament to last the entire year. Participation costs remain a significant barrier for many student groups on campus that are not financially backed by larger and better-endowed organizations like the Institute of Politics.
As long as the gap between participation costs and University funding for such student activities remains this wide, quality of student life will continue to suffer. We cannot accept financially needy students on the pretense that they can reap the full course of benefits and activities that Harvard offers only to limit the opportunities once they are on campus. Ameliorating the financial pains to get here does not change the reality of socioeconomic inequality on a campus that is supposed to celebrate and sympathize with diverse students. Student funding can change that.
Let us assume that Griffin’s donation is allocated honestly and efficiently. Then, at least $15 million will remain even after factoring in the financial aid initiative and the $10 million endowment for a professorship at the already-coveted Harvard Business School. Wherever this $15 million goes, Harvard has an obligation to take care of its students beyond the classroom. Can Faust let go of $250,000?