RHA cuts budget, movies

The Residence Hall Association (RHA) budget for this year will feature some key changes including the removal of funding for movies played on Georgia Tech Cable Network (GTCN).

In addition, they will increase the budget for leadership development opportunities and subsidize the Collegiate Readership Program.

For years, RHA has worked with GTCN to show movies before they came out on DVD or HBO. RHA gained advertisement time and the movies helped GTCN grow as a campus cable network.

"When RHA first started funding the movies, GTCN was a very different network. We didn't have over 100 channels in the residence halls, and we didn't have seven HBO channels. Providing movies to the residents was a novel service and one that was, and still is, well received," said Tim Gallagher, executive president of RHA.

When GTCN expanded its channel lineup three years ago, RHA brought up the question of whether to continue funding for the movies, and the 2005 and the 2006 budgets went back and forth on the amount of money devoted to the movies.

"RHA does not deny that it is a valuable service to the residents, and we are in favor of having the movies stay, but we were not certain we should be the ones to fund it. We collect money to provide events and representation for the residents and the question evolved into whether or not [RHA should be] providing funding to a department of the Institute. The conclusion reached, both by our executive board, and our Legislative Council representatives, was that it is not our role to provide funding to a department," Gallagher said.

Another factor in deciding to cut movie funding out of the budget was that the costs steadily increased each year, while the RHA budget remained the same. RHA determined that at some point in time the funding could not continue with the increases and the advertising benefits no longer justifying the costs.

With movies no longer in the budget, RHA focused attention on their goal to promote and develop leadership and growth in the residence halls. Both a compilation of leadership development materials and the subsidization of the costs for leadership conferences are areas where new money will be dedicated.

"[These are] a tremendous asset to the residents and to our organization. One of the strengths of RHA is that we build up leaders who go on to succeed in RHA, but also in many of the other organizations and governing boards on campus. Many of the student leaders on campus have had some interaction with RHA, whether it was being an officer in Hall Council or just attending the meetings," Gallagher said.

According to Gallagher, offsetting the costs to attend local and national conferences, like the National Leadership Conference, provide a fantastic opportunity for residents to develop skills at lower costs.

Funding for the Collegiate Readership Program will also be a line item in this year's RHA budget. An initiative of the USA Today, the goal of the program is to enhance the learning environment on campus, by exposing students to the news in their living, learning and community spaces. RHA's goal is to raise $50,000 for the year.

"The ultimate goal is to grow this program so that it is sustainable with minimal contributions from student organizations, much like the program at Penn State University where the program is funded through tuition," Gallagher said.