Dozens of Student Groups Ordered to Vacate SOCH Offices as FAS Seeks Cost Savings

Dozens of student organizations will be required to vacate their offices on the third floor of the Student Organization Center at Hilles by the end of the term, according to an email sent Wednesday afternoon to student leaders by Dean of Students Thomas G. Dunne.

In the email, Dunne wrote that the Faculty of Arts and Sciences is “reevaluating and reconfiguring” spaces at the SOCH as part of a broader effort to identify cost-saving opportunities. He added that all affected organizations will be “provided with new dedicated space elsewhere in the building,” and that the vacated third-floor spaces will be repurposed for College offices that are currently housed in leased locations.

College spokesperson Jonathan Palumbo wrote in a Thursday statement that at least 10 percent of all recognized student organizations use the SOCH to store various equipment, props, and materials for campus programming throughout the year.

Roughly 50 organizations currently maintain offices on the third floor, including Harvard Model Congress, the Harvard International Relations Council, the Asian American Dance Troupe, and the Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

The move comes as the Faculty of Arts and Sciences continues to confront a $365 million structural budget deficit and pursue cost-saving measures across campus.

Several student leaders said the move would pose significant logistical challenges.

Karan A. Shah ’27, co-president of the Harvard South Asian Association, said the group relies on its SOCH office to store a significant number of set pieces, merchandise, and clothes for its culture show Ghungroo, the largest student-run production on campus.

Shah said moving the materials out of the SOCH would be a “logistical nightmare.”

“I would love if they could help us move out,” he said. “They could give us alternative storage, instead of us having to figure stuff out.”

“I doubt that they would, just knowing Harvard,” he added.

Shakira Ali ’28, co-president of the Harvard Islamic Society, said she was unaware of the relocation until after the email was circulated.

“My co-president and I didn't even know about the relocation,” Ali said.

The organization shares a storage space containing Ramadan and Eid decorations, donations for local mosques, and materials from the Canaday musallah — a Muslim prayer space relocated to the Smith Campus Center in August 2025.

“There’s just so much stuff to move away,” Ali said. “It’ll be difficult to move everything.”

Details about the timeline and logistics of the recognition remain unclear. Dunne wrote that the process is expected to take “several weeks” and that the DSO will remain in contact with affected organizations.

Shortly after Dunne’s email — which pledged a follow-up email to clarify both the “support the College will provide” and the “timeline for moving materials” — Assistant Dean of Student Engagement and Leadership Andrew Donahue invited students to a Friday meeting to discuss next steps.

“We understand that these changes may cause some frustration and may cause some disruptions to your spring schedule,” he wrote.

Dunne acknowledged in the email that the changes would be disruptive in the “short term,” but said the reconfiguration would preserve storage for current occupants and could “potentially expand access to additional groups” moving forward.

—Staff writer Alma T. Barak can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at almabk.54. Follow her on X @almabk_.

—Staff writer Theresa F. Bartelme can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at theresabartelme.15. Follow her on X @theresabartelme