This story was updated Dec. 9 at 8:05 p.m. ET. and Dec. 10 at 3:25 p.m.

Ithaca College canceled its planned cut of board expenses for resident and apartment assistants, following advocacy and critiques from the campus community. Board refers to the college’s meal plan and dining costs. 

The Office of Residential Life informed RAs and AAs that they were no longer going to have their board expenses covered at a Dec. 4 meeting. After a Dec. 9 meeting with RAs and AAs, Stanley Bazile, vice president of student affairs and campus life, confirmed to The Ithacan that the proposed cuts to RA compensation would not be carried out, and board expenses would still be covered in the 2026-27 academic year.

Students living in on-campus residence halls are required to have the Residence Plan, which costs between $7,102 and $8,062 per student annually. RAs receive compensation solely through reductions in housing and meal plan costs.

The Ithacan spoke to three different RAs who said that at the Dec. 4 meeting, Beth O’Neill, director of Residential Life and Student Conduct and Community Standards, told the RAs she was directed to cut $600,000 from the $1.5 million RA budget. In an email sent to all RAs and AAs by O’Neill, she said Bazile would meet with the RA Advisory Board Dec. 8, and hold a session Dec. 9 alongside Marsha Johnson, dean of students. Res Life declined to comment. 

Sophomore Virginia Bentley, an RA in the Terraces Residence Halls, said they called their mom immediately after the Dec. 4 meeting. RAs receive 80% of their room and board as compensation for their first and second semesters, before getting an increase to 100% by their third semester. Bentley, a first-year RA, said they were waiting to get their second-year compensation increase, but were worried it would not matter after the cuts. 

“I don’t know if it’s worth [the pay] with the amount of work I put into being an RA,” Bentley said. “I’m gonna have to figure out loans, I’m gonna have to figure out more scholarships … which is not something that I thought I would have to do, especially right before finals.” 

Junior Sawyer Sloane Simmons, an RA in the Towers Residence Halls, said the planned cuts to the RA budget felt intentional because RAs are a group of students who are typically in higher need of financial aid and therefore more likely to continue in their position despite compensation cuts. Simmons said the timing of the announcement has made it difficult for RAs to find off-campus housing for next semester or figure out additional ways to make money.

“They know [we] will take something over nothing,” Simmons said.

Simmons said being an RA is a massive time commitment. She said RAs are expected to be available for their residents whenever they are in their rooms and must respond in a timely manner to all questions and messages they receive.

“Whenever you’re needed, you’re expected to be available,” Simmons said. “Especially if it’s something silly or small, you’re expected to respond within 24 hours and handle it and resolve it.” 

In training, RAs are taught about the idea of “Life in a Fishbowl,” meaning they are being watched and inspected by both residents and college community members everywhere and must represent the community well. Additionally, in the RA/AA contract, they must have any other campus activities or jobs approved by their director and are expected to drop them if they get in the way of being an RA. 

In an email sent to the RAs after the Dec. 9 meeting, Bazile said he acknowledged the negative impact of removing meal plans on RAs and that making decisions regarding the budget deficit is never easy. 

“I know that our RAs work hard to serve their fellow students and the entire campus community every day in ways that are both seen and unseen, and value our partnership in serving the common good,” Bazile said in the email. “I want to acknowledge and sincerely appreciate the passionate advocacy our RAs have shown in response to this news. Your commitment to supporting one another, elevating student concerns, and engaging as thoughtful partners in problem-solving reflects the very best of our campus community.” 

In an interview with The Ithacan, Bazile said the planned cut of RA board expenses was canceled after he had conversations with students, received feedback from the RAs and looked at how cutting board expenses would impact the RAs.

“A number of the students who work in that position are some of the students who are most disproportionately disadvantaged in terms of first-generation college students [and] low-income households,” Bazile said. “The impact of, ‘Would they be able to continue at the institution?’ And what was the impact going to be on them from a psychosocial standpoint?”

Bazile said the decision to cut the RA budget was part of the college’s goal of achieving a balanced budget by Fiscal Year 2028. Bazile said he will work with Tim Downs, senior vice president and chief financial officer, and Laine Norton, vice president for advancement, to find ways to make up the amount of money without reducing the number of RAs.

“We haven’t made any final decisions in terms of where the money is going to come from,” Bazile said. “But it will not be coming from the RA budget.”

Junior Grace Commisso, an AA in the Circle Apartments, said she would like to see the administration include students more in financial decisions that will impact them.

“I am just not confident in what will happen after this, because [administration] doesn’t know what’s happening,” Commisso said. 

Johnson said she is open to including students as partners in some administrative decisions, but some decisions will need to be made without student input.

“[Students] might have creative ways [of] addressing things that we haven’t even thought about,” Johnson said. “We do plan to attempt to be as inclusive as possible.”

Citing issues with communication, support and overwork, several RAs have begun an effort toward unionizing. Questionnaires were sent out to all of the RAs. Leaders of the initiative have contacted representatives at the Office and Professional Employees International Union. 

At the beginning of the 2024-25 academic year, the college had eight area coordinators — formerly called residence directors. ACs are professional on-site staff who are in charge of training and supervising RAs. As of December, there are now four full-time ACs.

Senior Rachel Somers, an RA in the Upper Quads, said she has worked with three area coordinators in her five semesters as an RA. She said she found herself undertaking additional scheduling and logistical responsibilities, like writing the duty schedule for an entire semester, in times between ACs without extra compensation.

“I’ve handled issues that I’m not even trained to handle,” Somers said. “Everything was harder than it needed to be.”

Commisso said the decision to keep providing board expenses was a big step for Res Life in listening to student voices, however, there is still more work to be done.

“This was a win, but there won’t always be wins,” Commisso said. “We want to unionize so that they can’t do this again. So that every conversation like this isn’t a huge fight.”