Residence Life Asks BOV to Cut Student Desk Aide Program

The Office of Residence Life is recommending that the Board of Visitors approve cutting desk aide jobs in freshman dorms for the spring semester.

In an e-mail sent to desk aides on Tuesday, Residence Life said that they were recommending that the Board of Visitors cut the desk aide program in December.

The program is being cut because of university-wide budget cuts, according to Chris Porter, director of Residence Life.

However, the desk aide job was once a part of a larger program involving all residence halls that has been slowly reduced over time.

“It was the next logical step, given our program and the current budget situation,” Porter said. “We had already cut other non-employee budgets and [we] were at the point where we had some very difficult choices to make.”

“The freshman building supervisors and resident assistants will be monitoring the honor sign-in logs to make sure people are signing in and out as they do in [upperclassmen] buildings,” Porter continued. “The majority of our buildings do not have desk aides now, and the honor sign-in process works well.”

Sarah McDermott, a sophomore, is a desk aide for Mason Hall.
“I think that it sucks if my job is cut for next semester,” McDermott said. “It is hard to get a job on campus, and this one is really flexible with my schedule.”

McDermott intends to apply for another job on campus if the desk aide position is cut.

Senior Cassandra Ratti, a Mason Hall desk aide, does not plan to apply for another job if the desk aide position is cut.

“I am a senior, and I was not planning on working during the spring semester anyways,” Ratti said.

Ratti sympathizes, however, with other students who would lose their jobs.

“I think that it is unfortunate that the desk aide program might be discontinued,” Ratti said. “I do, however, understand that budget cuts will mean lots of changes across this campus. It’s just too bad that this change involves student employment.”

Senior Ashley Jacoby, a desk aide for Mason Hall, is disappointed that the desk aide positions might be cut because she uses her earnings for extra spending money.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do next semester,” Jacoby said. “I might look and see if there are any on-campus job openings, but I already have a job off campus, so I might just increase those hours.”