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Thank you for taking
the time to write to me about dining. Because of the interest
you have expressed, I am writing to tell you about our decisions
in regard to the dining issue.
At its February meeting, the
Board of Trustees had a full discussion of many elements
of the proposed financial plan, including the proposed changes
to the dining system. Although the Board did not make a decision
about the dining proposal itself, it did conclude that the
dining system should absorb a share of the reductions necessary
to restore balance to the college’s budget and that
the cuts in the dining committee’s recommendation were
of the appropriate proportion. The Board directed us to finalize
a decision about dining consolidation early enough in the
spring to involve students in the planning for implementation.
We have therefore decided to
implement the dining consolidation plan, as proposed in the
dining committee’s report.
Kitchens and dining rooms will close in Baldwin, Park, and
Parsons this summer. The Northrop kitchen will close this
summer, but the dining room will remain open, served by the
Gillett kitchen. Kitchens and dining rooms in Gardiner, Jordan,
Haven/Wesley, and Talbot will close in the summer of 2005.
We project that these closures will save the college $779,000
once fully implemented, a sum that represents 7 percent of
the reductions proposed in the budget plan for the campus.
The
plan also
calls for other changes, including extended hours, more menu
choices, and more choices about where to eat. With these
changes, Smith will continue to offer an intimate dining
model unique in higher education for its number of dining
halls and its small scale.
There are many complex issues
involved in the implementation of both the closures and the
introduction
of new features.
We are therefore establishing a set of working groups,
each co-chaired by a student, with a number of student members,
in order to plan for the fall. We plan a group on each
of
the following topics: menus and evaluation; traditions;
access and security; community building; space use of closed
dining
rooms and kitchens; and communication.
I realize that many
alumnae will be unhappy with this decision because you
highly valued both the community that house
dining helps build and your relationships with the
dining staff.
On-campus, we will be working to create other ways
of sustaining community, particularly in the houses whose
dining
rooms
will close. In addition, the college and the dining
staff union have agreed to open negotiations early to determine
the best ways to minimize the impact on staff.
I encourage
alumnae to think about this decision in the context of
the budget challenges facing the campus. In
making choices
about where to assign reductions to avoid facing multi-million
dollar deficits in future years, we have given priority
to the academic program and to financial aid, although
we have
had to make changes even in these critical areas. Given
the choices before us, it did not seem justifiable
that dining
should be protected from budget cuts. However, the
dining implementation committee rejected more radical proposals
that would have saved more money. We have restricted
the cuts to 10 percent in order to maintain a dining
system that,
with 18 dining rooms, remains widely distributed
in comparison
to that of many other colleges.
Sincerely,
Carol T. Christ |
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