Dear Editor,

In Ms. C. Swartz’s February 12th guest opinion “UAF shouldn’t joyride with student’s money” she alleges that there was a drop in the number of Desk Attendants (DAs), as well as the hours they are on duty, and that the shortfalls are due to budget cuts imposed on us by university officials.

This is incorrect; the DA program is fully funded for this year as it has been in the past. Any gaps in the staffing of DA positions is due to our inability to hire a sufficient number of students to fill the available slots. This year as in the past we anticipate finishing the fiscal year with money remaining in the account that funds the DA program. Thankfully, we recently achieved having a full complement of DAs and any gaps in manning the residence hall doors are limited to when a particular DA fails to report to work.

In the nine years I’ve been affiliated with the Department of Residence Life there has not been a single cut made to our budget by any Chancellor or other university official. Thank you for allowing me to clarify this point.

K.L. Huddy
Dir. of Residence Life