University President Lawrence Bacow presented a dire but hopeful assessment of the university's economic situation in a talk to the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate on Sunday.
Bacow estimated that Tufts is currently facing a $36 million deficit in its operating budget for next year.
He also projected that a lower number of less-affluent students will be able to attend the university. "What is likely to happen is the next class is likely to be, if I had to guess, less socioeconomically diverse than prior classes," he said.
Tufts' expected budget shortfall will be exacerbated by a $3 million to $4 million increase in financial aid as part of the administration's primary goal of providing the financial resources needed to keep students at Tufts.
As students and their families continue to feel the strain of a faltering economy, student groups will need to balance the desire to promote new activities with the need to include members, Bacow said.
"I think as we get more and more economically diverse, it will test our egalitarian tradition," he said.
Bacow noted the example of seniors criticizing the high cost of activities during Senior Week, which can exclude less well-off students.
"What I'm hoping is that over time, there's enough sensitivity to these things on campus that the problem becomes self-limiting," Bacow said. As an example of a solution, he suggested holding the senior formal at a less opulent venue.
