Harvard Dean of Students Dunne Says Office Looking at Options to Rework Student Activities Fee as Undergrads Opt Out

Harvard College Dean of Students Thomas Dunne said during a Tuesday interview that the Dean of Students Office is working to understand the history and purpose of the student activities fee as an increasing number of students opt out of the $200 annual expense.

The SAF fund has fallen by $70,000 this year, according to the Harvard Undergraduate Association’s treasurer, leading to budget cuts for the HUA and House Committees, as well as the College Events Board and the Harvard Foundation Student Advisory Committee. Dunne said he is “particularly interested in understanding what our options are” to rework the fee.

Though Dunne said student activities fees are common at other schools, he said giving students the choice to opt out is an “outlier” among peer institutions. The DSO is now looking to understand the nature of the fee and its history.

“I’m not sure I understand the rationale or the need for the opt-out,” he said.

Some students have called for the student activities fee to be fully or partially covered by financial aid, but according to Dunne, there is not a strong correlation between opting out of paying the fee and socioeconomic status.

“There’s not a strong correlation where it indicates that the opt-outs are coming disproportionately from any one part of the student body,” Dunne said.

Dunne added that he believes student leaders and the DSO can play a role in advertising the importance of the student activities fee.

“Having people understand how funding happens at Harvard in micro and macro ways I think is really useful,” he said.

Dunne also discussed the following topics:

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Harvard’s campus has been enveloped by student reactions from activists in a series of protests, vigils, and demonstrations.

Dunne, who is a member of the University’s newly established antisemitism advisory group, emphasized the role of education and empathy in responding to the conflict. Participating in the group has been Dunne’s “largest point of connection” with students during his first semester at Harvard, he said.

He is also involved with Harvard’s task force for doxxed students, which aims to centralize resources for students facing online harassment.

“Sometimes you’re able to find yourself in conversations where you want to provide a solution to students that you’re not able to,” he said. “It’s difficult because you feel you can empathize with the level of fear and frustration a student is experiencing, and you have a limited range of responses.”

Dunne, who is concluding his first semester in Cambridge, said it is difficult for him to comment on whether he believes there is increased antisemitism on Harvard’s campus since Oct. 7.

“I do think when you look at how people articulate the college experience at Harvard, it’s something people reference, and it would not be surprising to me that we’re in a more fraught time since October 7 around antisemitism, Islamophobia, other campus climate issues,” Dunne said.

“I would not be surprised if people said, ‘Yes, there’s a higher rate of antisemitism now than there has been in the last 10 years,’” he added.

First Semester at Harvard

Dunne said though his first semester has been marked by responding to “urgent issues,” he has also enjoyed interacting with undergraduates and familiarizing himself with the campus.

“There’s something particularly gratifying of also being in this first year here together,” Dunne said. “I’ve been to a number of long standing Harvard traditions, I did morning prayers, which was an amazing experience. And so it’s been an incredibly rewarding and positive experience.”

He added that living so close to campus has allowed him to gain familiarity with student life, specifically referencing witnessing a party at a semi-secret Sorrento Square social organization that used to occasionally publish a so-called humor magazine.

“There was a DJ at the Lampoon that I really enjoyed. It was a really good DJ, and they had a ski party,” Dunne said. “It’s funny when you’re the lurker.”

“I don’t know who that student was, but I certainly appreciated it,” he said of the DJ.

—Staff writer Ella L. Jones can be reached at ella.jones@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @ejones8100.

—Staff writer John N. Peña can be reached at john.pena@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @john_pena7.