FAS Trims Summer Student Services

Months after launching a Web site billed as a tool for budget cutting transparency, Harvard's largest school quietly inserted three minor cuts to summer services at student-focused offices for sexual assault, study aid, and alcohol and drug prevention.

The Bureau of Study Counsel (BSC) is operating on a reduced schedule for much of the summer, with the office open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., from July 6 to Aug. 21. The Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Services (OAODS) will be closed the week of Aug. 10, and the Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (OSAPR) will be closed for the month of July. All of the changes were made to help maximize services during the academic year, when most students are on campus, according to the statements on the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Planning Web site.

OSAPR, OAODS, and the BSC are units within University Health Services' Department of Behavioral Health and Academic Counseling, which also includes the Center for Wellness and Mental Health Services. UHS Director David S. Rosenthal '59 said that there have been no changes made to the hours or summer services at those two other offices.

Even though a couple of the changes are effective in July, the Web site was not updated with the relevant information until July 14. The changes were not accompanied by any notice that the Web site had been updated.

FAS spokesman Steve Bradt said that the administration did not issue any broad community-wide communications or e-mailed announcements in this instance because "the three changes posted this week are unlikely to impact most members of our community." He said it was important to note that "we need to balance our obligation to notify the community of reductions in services against the risk that our notifications may be ignored if too frequent."

Bradt said that students, faculty, and staff have "repeatedly requested judicious use of broadcast e-mail" and that the administration is attempting to accommodate those wishes. But he said that FAS will be updating the planning site to have alphabetical or chronological sorting capabilities for easier accessibility.

Ryan Travia, director of OAODS, said that he could not share information on how much money is being saved through the hours reductions. But he said student traffic is certainly "considerably lower" during the summer months than during the academic year, and that he did not expect the week-long furlough for the office to cause any disruptions for students or internal operations. He said that during the slow summer months, his office typically reviews research and data collected over the course of the year, writes reports, reviews policy and procedures, and prepares for the incoming freshmen.

If students are in need of services or counseling while OAODS is closed in August, there are resources and personnel that can assist them at the Bureau of Study Counsel or Mental Health Services, Travia said. The FAS Web site noted that calls to OSAPR in July are being forwarded directly to the Boston Rape Crisis Center.

Travia said that administrators are still considering possible changes for the academic year.

—Staff writer Peter F. Zhu can be reached at pzhu@fas.harvard.edu.