By SHAWN P. O'LEARY
Editor-in-Chief
 

The number of students allowed to study abroad during the winter will be capped at 25% of the junior class. In recent years nearly four times as many students studied abroad during the winter semester as did the fall. The new policy, drafted by the Off Campus Study, Educational Policy, and ad-hoc Enrollment Management Committees, was outlined in the college's annual report to the faculty regarding off-campus study.

"This problem has real costs," said Stephen Sawyer, associate dean of students. "You can see it in commons in the fall and winter," he continued. "We are seeking an average enrollment."

In addition to the conditions at commons and residence halls, the report states that "the imbalance between the fall and winter semesters forces Bates to delay the entry of qualified students until January." According to Sawyer, approximately 150 students may study abroad this winter, representing a single-year increase of 24 students.

"We could have done a lot of things to dampen study abroad," said Sawyer. "We could have raised the minimum GPA [grade point average], limit financial aid amounts per semester, or limit the amount of approved programs. There were a lot of things we didn't want to do," he added.

Sawyer, who also oversees the off campus study programs, cautioned that students should not presume that the new policy will prevent them from studying abroad. "Students can go away in unlimited numbers for the year and the fall, as well as 100-plus in the winter."

Also new to the Bates off campus study programs is funding for the new Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Study Abroad Program. The funding was provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the consortium through the next three years. Faculty from all three colleges will lead study programs in London, Ecuador and South Africa.