The Ithaca College Student Governance Council met March 17 to discuss the college’s financial future with Tim Downs, chief financial officer and vice president of finance and administration. The council also discussed the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights investigation into the college.
Junior senate chair Nikki Sutera announced that sophomore Anabel Pimenta Velloso, varsity athlete senator and junior Alexis Arias, School of Business senator, have stepped down from their positions on the council.
The college’s financial future
Downs said the Board of Trustees asked the college to balance its budget by fiscal year 2028. He said that in March the college will develop a multi-year plan to no longer be in a deficit. In April, the college will review the plan with the Board of Trustees’ Finance and Investment Committee. In May, the college will submit the plan to the Board of Trustees and obtain the approval of the FY 2026 budget.
Sutera asked Downs if staff and faculty positions would be cut to reduce the budget deficit.
Downs said that because of the drop in enrollment, the college will likely have to reduce some positions in order to reduce the deficit.
“We are going to have to reduce expenses,” Downs said. “80% of our expenses are salary benefits. So there is no path with which we cannot reduce [that].”
Downs said work is being done at the college during summer 2025 like the outdoor track project and renovations to the lower quads. Downs said Eastman Hall and Landon Hall will be renovated with new windows and heating systems on all floors of the buildings and single-user bathrooms on the first floors of the buildings.
Downs said the college plans to renovate all of the dorms in the upper and lower quads but is starting with Eastman and Landon because they are most in need of renovations.
DOE investigation
The DOE’s Office for Civil Rights announced in a March 14 press release that it would be investigating the college for a complaint filed by the Equal Protection Project in June 2024, alleging that the Rashad G. Richardson “I Can Achieve” Memorial Scholarship and the African-Latino Society Memorial Scholarship were restricting eligibility based on students’ race.
Downs said the financial impact of the investigation is unclear and could vary depending on the outcome of the investigation.
“[It could have] no financial impact, no change in what we do other than maybe we [have] a lawyer to go write some stuff for us,” Downs said. “Or it could be significant if they put sanctions on us. It depends where in the spectrum it would fall. … Zero dollars, $50 million, they’re both equally as right.”
Downs said he could not say much about the investigation but referred the council to Emily Rockett, vice president, general counsel and secretary to the board of trustees, to answer any questions.
Junior Rishabh Sen, president of the student body, said he would like the council to draft a letter to either President La Jerne Cornish or Rockett with questions that students might have about the investigation.
“I’d love for all of you to just comment questions either you have, constituents have [or] your friends might even have,” Sen said. “No question is too small.”
Updates from SGC
Senior Kathi Hodel, vice president of business and finance and head of SGC’s Appropriations Committee, said the committee allocated $23,787 to student organization and club events for Spring 2025. Hodel said that after the committee’s March 19 meeting, it will no longer have any funds left to allocate to student organizations and club events for Spring 2025.
Sutera said SGC will hear from David Gondek, chair of the Faculty Council and associate professor in the Department of Biology, at its March 24 meeting to discuss governance at the college. She also said that the council is planning to hold a town hall meeting April 14 to hear from students and give updates.
The SGC is the sole representative body for the Ithaca College student community. The SGC meets from 7-9 p.m. every Monday in the Taughannock Falls room of the Campus Center. The SGC can be contacted at [email protected].
