As reported in its annual budget, the Hillsdale College Student Federation allocates $5,000 to pay for 1,200 planners, which students receive for free. Yet many students, such as senior Andrew Holub, do not use them and see such spending as wasteful.
“The level of absurdity demonstrated by the financial irresponsibility and wanton spending by Student Fed is positively mind-boggling and infuriating,” Holub said.
Current Student Fed Treasurer David Wilhelmsen said that Student Fed does not spend much time deliberating over the cost of student planners simply because it has never been an issue in the past.
“The part of the budget [set aside for student planners] is so routine that we don’t directly address it on a yearly basis,” Wilhelmsen said. “We just set aside about $5,000 for them since that is roughly the price of buying one for every student. The Student Affairs office selects and purchases them, and Student Fed reimburses it.”
Associate Dean of Women and former Director of Student Activities Rebekah Dell said that Student Fed has actually cut back on spending for yearly organizational devices. In the past a book known as “The Mentor” was distributed to freshmen every year. This became replaced with a yearly calendar and then finally with the planner that students receive every year.
“$5,000 is a very small amount compared to what used to be spent on ‘The Mentor’ and the calendar,” Dell said.
Yet there is still an effort on the part of Student Fed to control spending. Wilhelmsen said that he has suggested cutting back on the amount of money spent on planners because he recognizes that most students do not seem to use them.
While Dell did say better communication between the student body and Student Fed could help control the money spent on planners, she admitted that it would be hard to gauge if students are using them because most purchased planners are actually picked up by students. Despite this, the planners generally are not being used.
“I used my planner extensively for the first few weeks of my freshman year, but I quickly found that it was useless and threw it in the trash where it belongs,” senior Matthew Kidd said. “I use Outlook calendar to stay organized.”
Holub admitted that a more receptive Student Fed could help control spending, as well as meet the appropriate demand for planners. According to Dell, it would be possible for Student Fed to work together with Student Affairs to print fewer planners if this were brought up as a concern by students.
Kidd also suggested that Student Fed should stop selling the planners in bulk altogether and have the students pay out of their own pocket. While a Walmart planner costs more than the college issued planners – $6.99 compared to $4.15 – many students, such as junior Sarah Chasen, are willing to pay the price.
“I need planners, but I just go to Walmart to buy better ones,” Chasen said.
Whatever the solution, many students feel that the money used for planners should be spent on something more beneficial to the student body.
“I think the money should be spent on cool things that people will use, like T-shirts,” senior Scott Heneveld said.
Kidd suggested that the money be put towards more senior events with open bars.