Additional funding from the Office of Residential Life to Affinity Housing Programs has been retracted, resulting in a depreciation of the quality of programs sponsored by smaller or needier departments in contrast to those with well-funded departments backing them.
All of the affinity programs were told clearly in writing that the additional funding they received last year was temporary and would be retracted following the 2005-2006 school year, Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman said.
"[The affinity houses] are in no worse shape than they were a year ago," Redman said. "[Even though] they have less money than they did last year, they are back to the same amount as before."
The Russian Program, the newest of the affinities opening only two years ago, is suffering more than any other program. The affinity currently receives $1500 less per year than the $2500 they received last year LeAnn Tzeng, Russian house adviser, said. The Russian department's affinity house is located on the ground floor of Topliff Hall.
"The Russian department itself is extraordinarily poor. They don't have enough money to stock pads of paper in their copy room, so they cant support us," Tzeng said. "We don't have a department with a good budget to help us."
Tzeng blames a lack of communication for the problems the Russian Affinity House is facing, as they have already spent a good portion of their budget under the assumption that they would have an allotment similar to last year. Still, they are searching for ways to increase funding in order not to diminish programming.
"Right now we are trying to figure out our options," Tzeng said. "This is our second year, if there is a crack we fall through it in the system, because no one knows we exist."
The Asian Studies Center is also sponsored by a department that does not heavily contribute to its affinity house.
Patricia Vendikos '08, an undergraduate advisor for the Asian Studies Center who has lived there since her sophomore Spring term, said the Center is conflicted with regard to whom is responsible for payment for weekly dinners, which many affinity houses offer to their residents.
Currently the Chinese department only pays for "noodle hour," which is open to all students. The department does not pay for any of the meals for the residents of the house. The Center receives $20 per meal for three meals per week from ORL, while last year they received $30.
The department feels that it is not unreasonable for residents to pay out of their own pockets, Vendikos said.
"When I was living there sophomore year, people accepted it cause it was always done, but they weren't happy," Vendikos said.
According to Vendikos, the quality of the dinners since the budget cut has declined, resulting in an absence of beverages, meat and sometimes not enough food. The negative effects of these budget cuts prevents the affinity programs from optimal operation -- reducing their chances to attract students, Klaus Mladek, German professor and adviser to the German affinity housing, said.
"There is a big pressure on affinity houses now that there is more housing," Mladek said. "Cutting funding will hurt our chances to compete."
Mladek said that despite the fact that Maxwell-Channing Cox apartments, where the German affinity housing is located, are some of the most desirable on campus, they still had trouble filling their housing.
"When we cant offer that much to our students, it makes the housing less attractive," Mladek said.
Last year the program used the money to plan events such as film trips to Boston and Octoberfest which, due to its cost of $1000, will not be occurring this year.
Mladek said that the previous funding nearly covered the entire expense of the events.
The German program, however, is finding ways to continue programming, although to a lesser extent, through increased department funding, donations from an alum and the Max Kade endowment.
"We will definitely have to go a little slimmer this year," Mladek said.
Mladek, who never spoke with Redman, was under the impression that last year's increase in funding would continue through this year, an implication he received from communications with a former director of affinity housing.
Italian professor Giuseppe Cavatorta, adviser to the Italian Program, said that when given the budget last year, he knew that the increase was not necessarily permanent, although he did not anticipate that it would only last for one year.
"I didn't expect a cut like the one that we got," Cavatorta said. "We are trying to cut down our yearly plan -- it's not like the department has a lot of money to invest in this, but they are trying to help in the way they can."
The Italian Program is soliciting the Italian Club to support their efforts in order to continue events through co-sponsorship.
The French Program received $500 from Residential Life and $700 from the department. Ideally they would like to receive $1500 in total this year French Professor and program adviser Margaret Burland said.
Burland said that the department was not made aware of the cut until a meeting held on Sept. 26.
Burland attributes the late notification to poor communication between the program and ORL, a factor she believes contributed to the program's current probation.
"The amount of money we have determines the kind of events that we can do," Burland said. "[But] In terms of its core mission, to have people speak french to one another, [the budget cut] doesn't affect it that much.
Burland said that the French Program does not feel the effects of the cut because they are supported by a large department which can provide funds. She added that for a smaller department it would be a bigger issue.
The lack of funding does not affect all of the 11 affinities. Affinity houses such as Shabazz Center for Intellectual Inquiry and the Latin American, Latino and Caribbean House expect no change in programming because most of their funding is handled through the individual adviser offices which are funded by the Office of Pluralism and Leadership.
Foley Cooperative, which receives less than $1000 per term from ORL, is also relatively untouched by the change because each resident contributes $300 per term for the five meals a week they eat at the house. The monies from ORL are used for special programming while the self-invested money is used for their mandatory dinners, Tyler Roth '08, undergraduate adviser to Foley House, said.
Representatives from the Hillel Apartments, the Native American House and La Casa were not available for comment.
