Residents of Yeh College received word Friday from their Community Living Advisors that there would be a Winter Wonderland study break next Tuesday, with gingerbread houses and a hot chocolate bar. What students did not know is that this might be the last Winter Wonderland ever.
Throughout the week, the Community Living Advisors (CLAs) for the residential colleges were informed in meetings with their residential college staff that the position would not be offered next academic year. CLAs in upperclass student housing, however, would remain unaffected. There are currently 44 CLAs employed at Princeton, 19 of whom are for students in residential colleges.
According to four CLAs, the cause for these cancellations is University budget cuts impacting all units, including the residential colleges. The University has been working to reduce costs following $210 million in federal grant cuts, although about half of the funding has since been restored.
The role of CLAs is to facilitate sophomore, junior, and senior dormitory living by hosting events, managing proper dorm etiquette, and being a social resource for non-first year students. The position was established by the University in 2023 and merged the roles of the Assistant Residential College Advisors (ARCAs) and Dormitory Assistants (DAs).
Haruka Nabeshima ’27, a CLA for Rockefeller College, said she had anticipated a decision eliminating CLAs at the beginning of the year, especially in the context of “an environment of budget cuts.” She also noted a general perception that CLAs don’t do a lot in their jobs, although her personal experience had differed from that narrative.
“I was surprised at how often I was dealing with small housing concerns or other things that I was told by other CLAs wouldn’t really happen,” Nabeshima said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian.
Regardless, Nabeshima said the position is not necessary for student living. “There is ample programming across the res college[s] without the CLA,” Nabeshima said. “It’s not like the most necessary thing in the world — there’s already other advisors like RGSs [Residential Graduate Students] and RCAs … who would probably make the transition fine.”
Simone Acosta ’27, a CLA for Whitman College, expressed an understanding of the University’s decision to cut their position, but acknowledged that there were positives to the position.
“We do offer something that’s very beneficial for residential college life — we provide an extra safety net, an extra safeguard, for sophomores, juniors, and seniors,” Acosta said. “Having someone that you know you can go to as your point of contact with any sort of need within the building I think is pretty vital.”
Nabeshima speculated that the University could have looked at “data of engagement of upperclassmen students in res colleges for CLA programming,” and decided that “it wasn’t enough given the context of scarcity in budget.”
These changes will notably leave sophomores without residential support beyond their PAAs or existing residential college staff. While juniors and seniors have the option to move into upperclass student housing, which will still retain CLA positions, sophomores are still required to live in their residential colleges. Acosta expressed concern over sophomores being left without a definitive form of support.
“Sophomore year is particularly a time where students are facing a lot of changes in their life,” she said, citing choices sophomores must make over upperclass housing, majors, eating clubs. “Stripping away that one kind of safeguard and kind of leaving them to fend for the wolves, I think, is particularly something the University should consider. But I think that they’re going to have to make somebody else step up to kind of fill that role of at least being a point of contact.”
Shahad Aljumayaat ’27, a Mathey College CLA, criticized the move, arguing that fellow undergraduate students could provide support in a way that other advisors such as Residential Graduate Students (RGS) or the Assistant Dean of Student Life (ADSL) could not.
“My most-asked questions are always things that I think I can answer uniquely as an undergraduate student,” Aljumayaat said. “I do think that there’s a lot of things that the University can cut, and it doesn’t have to be things that support students.”
Several students in the residential colleges told the ‘Prince’ that they were unfamiliar with their CLAs, but some have enjoyed the study breaks.
“I feel like it hasn’t really played much of a role in my sophomore year. I feel like it’s much more prevalent freshman year, and then it kind of dies off,” Liam Hoffman ’28 said.
“I’m not so sure about who exactly my CLA is,” Isaac Das ’28 said. “I know that they host some study breaks here and there. I’ve gone to a few of those and those are great.”
Anna Cowell ’28 also said she had never reached out to her CLA, but thought that the program provided some benefits.
“It’s a good program to have for students involved in being a CLA … to put on their work experience,” she said. “It’s not something I personally think is important in my life, but I think it’s a useful program for the school to have.”
As the residential college CLAs look for an alternative for next year, they will have the option to apply to be a RCA or a CLA in upperclass student housing.
“They definitely made sure we were aware that, even though this position was not going to be offered, they weren’t just saying, ‘Oh, well, you can’t do anything with us,’” Acosta said. “They want us to know that there were still other options available for us to connect with the communities, for us to apply to.”
Luke Grippo is an assistant News editor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from South Jersey, and typically covers University and town politics, on a national, regional, and local scale. He can be reached at lg5452[at]princeton.edu.
Oliver Wu is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Stony Brook, N.Y. and can be reached at oliver.wu[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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