Too much emphasis on business is affecting the quality
of life at Hollins
By Julia Knox
A hike in single room fees, a tiny budget for student activities, and fewer professors and course offerings. Is this what we’re getting for our $30,000 a year?
Change is a constant process, and Hollins is no exception. But it’s changes don’t seem to be headed towards improvement.
When it comes down to it, Hollins is a business.
Until the 2003-2004 school year, single rooms were a privilege for seniors as a reward for making it through their first three years. The single rooms also offered seniors a retreat of peace and quiet, something that was often needed as thesis deadlines and grad school applications loomed. Underclassmen were given single rooms if they had a medical reason, such as a physical handicap, Attention Deficit Disorder, or depression. These rooms were offered free of charge.
But in 2003, students – seniors included – were charged $100/semester for a single room. Those who requested a single for medical reasons were still given it free of charge, provided they submitted sufficient documentation from their doctor. In 2004, it was quietly decided that the single room fee for 2005-2006 would be $150/semester.
This change prompted Emily Abeles ’05 to make a presentation at Senate titled “The Evolution of the Single Room Fee.” In her presentation, Abeles questioned the necessity for a single room fee at all, given that they used to be a senior privilege, and requested that in the future, increases in the fee be publicly announced in Senate or a letter home. She also warned that at the way things were going, the room fees were bound to continue to increase.
Budget constraints are also changing academics at Hollins. In an effort to cut the budget, seven professors were offered retirement incentive packages. James Allen, of computer science, Tom Edwards of economics and international studies, Bernard Gauci of business and economics, Jane Tumas-Serna of communication studies, Lanetta Ware of physical education, Claude Caujolle of French and Andre Spies of history will all retire at the end of this year.
This, of course, has academic consequences. Most notably comes the question of replacements. While many plans are in motion to hire tenured track professors to replace those retiring, none will be hired before the beginning of the next academic year.
Where does that leave people like Jeurgen Fleck, who will now be the sole tenured economics professor? How will the Classics department, which is losing their adjunct professor, survive on only two professors?
While a search is being conducted to find a one-year professor of Communication Studies for next year, the course schedule lists the majority of Communications classes as being taught by the two professors left, Lori Joseph and Chris Richter. This leads to two things: less course offerings for the students, and overworked professors.
There are no plans to hire another French professor. Yes, French is a small department. But again, the lack of an extra professor leads to less course offerings for students and more stress for professors who are staying.
Besides academic and residence changes, there are also student life changes affected by money. Joe Rosenberg, director of student activities, recently received his budget for next year. He has $11,000 (a significant decrease) to plan next year’s activities. $11,000 for the shuttle (a popular weekend mode of transportation which takes car-less students downtown and to the mall on weekends), weekend concerts and shows in the RAT, the maintenance of the Banta Room (a student lounge featuring a TV and pool table), special events like Bingo and Karaoke Nights, and programs like this year’s Hollins Goes To Hollywood – the free showing of current or recent movies (such as The Incredibles and Ocean’s 12) on the weekends. In other words, $11,000 to plan activities that will not only keep students entertained during the week, but keep them from running to Hampden-Sydney on the weekends.
Hollins, at it’s core, is a business. And as with all businesses, when total funds are diminished, budget cuts must be made. But when too many cuts are made or they begin to affect a student’s academic life (the reason students already pay $30,000 to come to this school), something is going too far. But the question still remains, what can be done?
Tuition already increases each year. Next year, students will pay a whopping $30,630 to attend Hollins. But how effective are these tuition increases in raising funds? If tuition is raised high enough, they run the risk of students not being able to afford to return. Prospective students may also be turned off at the high price of tuition. With an older brother and sister both in college, I had to work incredibly hard to convince my parents that while a state school like JMU or Virginia Tech might be cheaper, Hollins was worth the extra $20,000.
I am not the person to ask what Hollins can do to remedy their budget situation. I don’t even balance my checkbook, and my knowledge of business is limited to watching half the first season of The Apprentice. Their decision to hire Nancy Gray, who lacks a PhD but possesses vast fundraising skills and expertise, as president was a good start. But they need to keep looking for ways to increase their budget without decreasing student opportunities.