In an effort to cut costs at the College last fall, the Bowdoin Treasurer's Office began seeking community input for money-saving ideas. After gathering nearly 40 suggestions from community members, some of these ideas are already making an impact on the way money is spent—or not spent—at Bowdoin.
For instance, in response to one student's suggestion, the Dining Service no longer serves bottled water at catered events. Instead, the Dining Service fills carafes and pitchers with Aquahealth, according to Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer Katy Longley. According to Longley, thousands of water bottles have been saved by this process.
Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) President Sophia Seifert said that she has been pleased that student input has been considered.
"Throughout the process [of cutting College costs], all of the committee members and officers of the College have been very attentive to student suggestions," she said.
As they have collected submissions, Longley and Director of Finance and Campus Services Del Wilson, who was also involved in the process, noticed that some suggested initiating programs already in use by the College. These included renting out summer housing to students and townspeople, investigating mailing costs, limiting the number of printed staff directories, and charging students for fire alarms not set off by a malfunction. Some of these programs have provided dramatic results.
"Over the past few years, we have reduced printing [of directories] by at least 50 percent," said Longley. She also said that "a maximum number of buildings [are kept] available" for summer rentals, while those not rented often undergo scheduled maintenance during the summer.
Still, Longley said that in the case of human resource mailings, they could not be done electronically since "sometimes federal law requires that certain benefits be mailed directly to the home."
Longley and Wilson added suggestions of their own for cutting costs around campus.
Both emphasized the importance of putting in a work order for items such as excessively flushing automatic toilets because, as Wilson said, "There are things that we might not figure out for months."
"My big pitch is that people turn off the lights," said Longley. "Half of our utility budget is electricity."
The results of electrical conservation have already had a positive effect, according to Wilson, who noted that "conservation efforts have made a difference."
The financial planners hope to continue finding opportunities for savings. To that effect, Longley keeps up with efforts made by other schools to cut costs.
According to an e-mail that Longley forwarded to the Orient, Williams College extended its holiday break for staff members by four days. By doing so, Longley said that Williams saved $90,000.
Those interested in submitting proposals to the College can visit the Treasurer's Office Web site at www.bowdoin.edu/treasurer/forms/budget-suggestions.shtml.