The Spire

Amelia Ciarleglio ‘27 and Kate Santini ‘27

Co-Editor-in-Chiefs

With Halloween festivities, course enrollment, and the 400th win at Fitton Field, campus has been abuzz with energy. Amidst the bustle of campus life, The Spire had the opportunity to speak with College President Vincent Rougeau about the current campus happenings as well as some long-term financial plans of the institution.
Enrollment is quite an exciting experience for many Holy Cross students. Due to the nature of our liberal arts institution, there are so many disciplines to explore and so many uniquely tailored courses. With Spring 2027 enrollment beginning on November 9, Rougeau advises students to explore the course catalog in depth and “get out there and look for something new and exciting to do” because you may discover a new passion, or at the least, a new minor or concentration.
Furthermore, Rougeau expressed that he is looking forward to attending a talk given by Professor Noah Feldman from Harvard Law School titled “The Importance of Being Human: Lessons for an AI Age.” As founding director of Harvard’s Julius-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli law and a former Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, Professor Feldman has served as a key legal advisor for federal judges and as a constitutional advisor in the Middle East. Rougeau is excited to join him for a conversation on “AI and the liberal arts and the future of Jesuit education” after his talk. The event is sponsored by the McFarland Center and will be taking place at 4:30 pm on Wednesday, November 18, at Rehm Library. All students interested are encouraged to attend.
When asked to elaborate on Holy Cross’ initiative to be carbon neutral by 2040, Rougeau stated that he was proud of the College’s efforts to actively reduce its impact on the environment. Rougeau pointed to substantive progress the College has made: “We have reduced our campus carbon footprint by 50% through renewable energy credits, made energy efficiency improvements,” and have “adopted more green building standards for new construction.” In reference to the future, Rougeau stated that, “We’re gonna work hard on decarbonizing buildings and transportation, and we’re gonna try to reduce our scope three emissions.” Scope three emissions are greenhouse gases that the college is not directly responsible for, including the commuting of staff, College-sponsored travel, and purchasing choices. Rougeau expressed his pride in the institution’s sustainability progress and “the way that the students have held us accountable on this.”
Additionally, The Spire inquired about equitable access to campus-sponsored events such as the Fall concert, in which tickets were $30, and special dining pop-ups including Lobster Night, which required an additional fee for students. The Spire inquired about these additional fees to better understand the decision-making process behind funding these events. The College does everything in its power to “offer [these] events at no additional cost,” Rougeau said. He explained that in anticipation of such events, “shared cost models” are adopted so that the College can reduce the prices to the greatest extent possible.
Rougeau also pointed out that if students require extra support to attend any of these events, financial aid is available. “It’s important that they let people know that the cost is a problem for them so that they can find out if there are resources available to help them,” he said, encouraging students with any financial aid concerns to contact Vice President for Student Development, Dean Koren Bakkegard.
“I wish I could say that we could make everything…part of the cost,” Rougeau added. However, to ensure that students are offered a variety of events, sometimes an extra charge is necessary. “We’re constantly thinking about access and affordability,” Rougeau said. “We think that’s at the heart of our mission as a Jesuit Catholic college.”
On the topic of financial aid, Rougeau emphasized that Holy Cross is one of fewer than 100 universities that meet 100% of a student’s demonstrated need at the time of admission. In the 2026 fiscal year, the College awarded $94.2 million worth of financial aid to the student body, roughly a 20% increase from the 2024 fiscal year. He explained that with the average cost of college tuition increasing by about 17% in the past few years, the College is adjusting its financial aid accordingly. The Spire thanks President Rougeau for his time.
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If students or faculty have any questions for President Rougeau for the last interview of the semester, please direct them to spire@g.holycross.edu.