Tough times make for tough decisions...

How we react to adversity forces us to face up to who we are and what we really value. Oft-times that might leave us feeling disappointed in ourselves.
I was caught by a story in the New York Times about the difficult decision forced upon Reed College in Portland, Oregon due to the economic downturn.
After reviewing grades, scores and essays, the admissions team had decided upon the makeup of their freshman class for the fall. Then financial realities set in. It seemed that there were more students in need of financial aid than there was aid available. So before acceptance letters were sent out, the director of financial aid informed the team that they needed to reduce the number of students who require financial aid in favor of students who have the resources to pay the full tuition. Deserving students will be denied admission strictly on the basis of their need.
I am heartened that the college officials recognize and anguish over the choice they have been forced to make.

The whole idea of excluding a student simply because of money clashed with the college’s ideals, Leslie Limper, the aid director, acknowledged. “None of us are very happy,” she said, adding that Reed did not strike anyone from its list last year and that never before had it needed to weed out so many worthy students. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m still doing this.”