Molly Weston

Identifying budget decision makers

Over the course of this semester, we have explored how the college spends its funds and where they come from. In this final column, we’ll explore who makes the crucial decisions about how funds are sp…

Aid remains exceptionally generous

Over the course of this semester, this column has tracked many of the aspects of the college’s budget that can seem disconnected from students’ day-to-day lives. Financial aid, however, is one aspect …

Shedding light on previous and current revenues

For the 2009–2010 budget year, the administration has budgeted $107 million, down from the $115.2 million of the last budget year’s rosier financial times. Spending just over $100,000,000 dollars requ…

Endowment remains large, but spending must fall

One of the best-known features of the college’s budget is that Swarthmore has a billion dollar-plus endowment. One of the least-understood features of the college budget is what that actually means fo…

Second $8M plan structurally adjusts spending

Over the past several weeks, this column has explored the income side of the college’s budget — how tuition, fees, endowment spending and annual fund donations come together to fund over $100 million …

Despite cuts across the board, shortage remains

Since my first column came out, the Board of Managers has made decisions about next year’s budget that included more permanent adjustments than the changes that made the 2009-2010 budget smaller than …

Boosting student involvement in college budget

Cuts in the college budget are, unfortunately, a fact for the foreseeable future. Over the course of the fall semester, the Student Financial Planning Advisory Committee, Student Council and the Ad Ho…

Casey a worthy candidate

Voting for Bob Casey in November is not choosing the lesser of two evils. It’s choosing a could-be-better over Rick Santorum. Without a doubt, Casey is further right than many Democrats would like on …