Harvard Does Away With Hot Breakfasts

Not to over-Ivy anyone, but there's another interesting tidbit out of the Ivy League, and this one's coming from Yale's biggest rival, Harvard University. Because of economic and financial downturns, Harvard has stopped serving hot breakfasts in some dorms and free cookies at faculty meetings, the New York Times reports.

With its endowment down 30 percent, Harvard has cut back on these amenities, the report says. But the school has also slashed its budget, frozen hiring, and cut pay and staff.

"Everyone is worried," one junior tells the Times. "It could be anything next; nobody really knows."

But the recent cancellation of food services and free school gear for athletes hit the students hard. Some expressed their disappointment to the Times.

"Students generally feel that if you come to Harvard, for what you're paying, you should probably have the right to a hot breakfast," Andrea Flores, the president of the Undergraduate Council, tells the Times. "They want to preserve the things that are at Harvard that you can't get anywhere else."

Flores also said the students would like to be informed of the possible options for cuts instead of just hearing about the decisions. Harvard's online idea bank is a start, the report says. Students can submit ideas on how to cut costs efficiently.

"We understand we have to give up something," says Flores. "But students want to be able to say what they're willing to give up and what they want to protect. As long as that's part of the discussion, I think the process can hopefully be done peacefully."

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