Say Goodbye to my Money, Sweet Alma Mater

Just got off the phone with a hapless sophomore trying to fundraise for good old Smith College. We ended up chatting for a good 15 minutes about what's been happening since I graduated. Basically, its a disaster. Dining halls are being slashed left and right in favor of condensed dining, "takeout" baggies, and generally dismal food. When I was at school, we had grand lunch buffets, eggs done to your taste in the morning, and desserts that were out of this world. Half the reason I went to Smith was the great food and the great social atmosphere in the houses. Now that people aren't eating in or near their house, upper classmen don't know first years, and social groups are becoming increasingly isolated.

Not only does the food suck, the college has become a dead zone on weekends due to massive restrictions on kegs, party sizes etc. Public safety apparently roves around seeking out inebriated girls to drag off the the campus clinic. My beautiful, open, social campus has become like an academic prison camp.

In short, Carol Christ, the "new" President of the school, sucks. She doesn't have the fundraising capabiity of Ruth Simmons, and she doesn't have the good sense to take the student's feelings into account before she decides to make changes. People in my time went to Smith because it was a fun place to go to school. Not because it was a women's college, or because there are fancy, useless new buildings around campus. If I were looking at colleges today, I would not choose Smith.

Loosen the noose on student social affairs, Smith, or you are never seeing another dime from me again.