Financial Aid at Vassar | Blowing bucks or pinching pennies?

Rachel Wolff Senior Editor

The Vassar Student Association works to make things on campus either free or very affordable for all students, creating a campus where students don’t need to worry about having money on them in order to attend events. But is it really all that easy to operate with no money on campus?

The Miscellany News tracked five sophomores from March 21 through March 28 to see how much money an average student spends during a week. The students, who all reside on campus, kept careful records of where they spent money, how much, and on what. The results and the student response to keeping track of their monetary transactions were interesting.

The average dollar amount worked out to approximately $50 per person, with the highest amount being $122.85 and the lowest $0. A majority of the money was spent on off-campus dining ($54.42 of the group’s spendings went towards off-campus food), but purchases ranged from contact solution at the College Bookstore to drinks at The Pub, from Stop & Shop necessities to a Rollermagic adventure.

Two out of the five of the students surveyed receive financial aid from the College. These were also the two students who spent the least money during the week.

When it comes to spending money on campus, the students surveyed had a variety of responses. “It’s really easy not to spend money on campus, if you have a mealplan,” said Hunter Oatman-Stanford, who does not have a car on campus, but does have a campus job.
RK Walker, who has an on-campus job and a car, disagreed, however, stating that students away from home have basic needs that can often only be filled at the College Bookstore, requiring that students spend money on campus. Remarking on the overall atmosphere of the school, Walker said, “When you’re at a school where the majority of students have money to spend, it’s hard not to follow in that track.”

Anne Marie Wyks, who has a car on campus and does not have a job, seconded Walker’s thoughts on spending money at the Bookstore, noting that the College Bookstore doesn’t have much to choose from and that “it’s all way overpriced.” She went on to say that it is “easy to spend money because things you need are not easily accessible.”

All of the students surveyed said that it was often difficult not to feel pressure to spend money on campus events or organizations. “There is definitely pressure to buy things from friends when they’re tabling for their groups in the College Center, or when they’re doing point drives in ACDC,” said Emily Cogswell, who does not have a car or an on-campus job. Walker also finds it difficult not to spend money on organizations, saying “I do often feel bad when I don’t spend money that goes to a friend’s organization.”

Oatman-Stanford said that he feels some pressure due to events that the College hosts, such as Market Mondays in the College Center, poster sales, and the Farmers’ Market. “I don’t even look,” he said, “because I know I’ll feel pressure to spend money.”

When it comes to attending campus-wide events with an entrance fee, Wyks said that you have to “pick and choose,” but that many fees “are small and go to a good cause.” She also remarked that the school does a good job offering options, noting that the recent Disney party was free if the student opted to wear a costume.

Cogswell solves the problem of spending money on campus easily: “I just don’t carry my wallet around on campus because I know that if I do, I’ll be more likely to spend my money.”