The Student Services Finance Committee served no one Wednesday night when it confirmed its rash Monday night decision to slice the Adventure Learning Programs budget. Chopped from the budget was the new “experiential education specialist” position approved last year, the very position for which we are currently bringing in candidates from around the country to interview.

As an organization that serves thousands of students on this campus each year, we feel our services are among the most relevant offered to student organizations as they develop and flourish. ALPs has long appreciated the power of involvement, and we embrace out-of-class experiences as the most influential of any student’s collegiate days. With a full-time academic staff position — SSFC’s No. 2 staff priority last year — we would have been able to spread that mantra to more students and their organizations.

ALPs is an organization that focuses on growth, helping the various student organizations with which we work to reach their potentials. Unfortunately, the SSFC decision undercuts our ability to grow. As a student-run organization, we have reached our maximum capacity to serve you, the student body. We need the experiential education specialist to lend professionalism, experience in program development and continuity to continue our tradition of growth and expansion.

With this position, broadscale initiatives like a campus ropes course, new student wilderness orientation and weekend-long retreat programs would no longer be idealistic visions but would become tangible, realistic goals. For a minimal investment, the campus community would receive a valuable resource, a strengthened free service in Adventure Learning Programs and exciting options for future development.

Without this position, ALPs will not be able to serve as many students with campus workshops and the ropes course and continue the high quality of services at the same time. Something has to give, and we are not willing to sacrifice quality.
We have been forced to pursue our next best option, but remain optimistic that the focus of student government, as affirmed last week by the U.S. Court of Appeals, will remain to serve students. If you are in favor of a government and organizations that promote the cause of student services, let your friends, your representatives and the ALPs office know.

Signed,
The dedicated staff of Adventure Learning Programs