<p>President Roth has created a “Sustainable Affordability” page on the Wesleyan website. You may not agree with the decision to go “need-aware”, but I think there is some interesting information there. Hopefully, it can form the basis of a discussion on the merits. Signs are that it has already started. </p>
<p>Some highlights: </p>
<p>1) the first chart showing Operating Expenditures, shows financial aid comprising 22% of the budget. However, if you take out “auxiliary enterprises” - things like the dining hall, student housing, the book store - which essentially pay for themselves, the percent goes up to 29% of the “unrestricted budget” which is the third pie chart down.</p>
<p>2) the columns showing a steady creep in the “discount rate” over the years seem to indicate the futility of trying to cover spiraling costs with unlimited increases in tuition. The solution obviously has to be found somewhere else:</p>
<p><a href=“http://2020.blogs.wesleyan.edu/2012/06/22/sustainable-affordability/[/url]”>http://2020.blogs.wesleyan.edu/2012/06/22/sustainable-affordability/</a></p>