Campus coffee shop Le Ronj’s budget was reduced by Campus Life this year among other budget cuts affecting various Bates organizations.
Ronj managers and Assistant Dean of Students for Campus Life & Student Leadership Nick Dressler declined to state exactly how much the coffee shop’s budget was cut down or what it had been previously, but one anonymous Ronj employee stated it was “a significant cut.”
According to multiple employees, Dressler directed Ronj workers not to divulge the exact budget. Some worried that sharing this information would threaten their employment. They were, however, able to state that the Ronj would be receiving less money from Campus Life this year.
“I can confirm that the Ronj received a cut in the amount of subsidized funding that it receives from Campus Life this year,” Dressler said via email statement to The Student, adding that it was in part due to the Ronj’s record profits last year. “This growth gave us confidence that we could reduce the Ronj’s allocation from Campus Life with minimal impact on Ronj operations, which is helpful in light of budgeting.”
According to Ronj manager Sophie Man-Hudspith ‘26, the Ronj made about $44,000 during the 2023-2024 school year, increasing each month and culminating in a $10,000 Short Term. Fellow manager Trinity Montswillo ‘26 said she believed the Ronj had not made a profit in a decade.
But profits do not cover all operating costs.
“The budget goes mostly towards wages,” Man-Hudspith said. “We do have quite a few employees, and we did create a new position [this year], and then just in general, all of our supply stuff.”
Montswillo agreed. “We have to be a lot more cognizant about spending and shifts [this year],” she said. “Some people might have to work shifts alone, just due to staffing costs.”
This year, the Ronj hired two stock specialists to reduce grocery delivery costs. These employees will use their own personal vehicles to purchase groceries on a regular basis, which will hopefully limit delivery costs, according to Montswillo.
These stock specialists, and all Ronj employees, including managers, earn the base minimum wage of $14.15 per hour. Since all profits go directly to Campus Life, Ronj employees do not receive tips.
Dressler said that he had been working with Ronj managers to limit the effects of budget cuts on their normal operations.
“From a funding perspective, we made painstaking efforts when planning to ensure that the impact on the student experience was as limited as possible,” he said. “We do not anticipate the Ronj allocation reduction will result in Ronjistas having fewer shifts, or impact the quality of the Ronj’s offerings, or that the student experience at the Ronj will lose its luster.”
Regardless, Ronj managers expressed disappointment and anxiety over the cuts.
“Since we haven’t made a profit until the last two years, I think it was really disappointing,” Montswillo said. “It’s like, ‘Oh, wow, we made money, but now we have even less to work with’…I think it was disappointing, because everyone was really hopeful after hearing about the profit that we’ve made.”
For this year’s four Ronj managers, all of whom are new to their positions, the cut was especially difficult. They had been planning to purchase new furniture or repaint parts of the building, estimated to cost over $1,000, but many of those hopes were dashed by the reduced budget.
“It’s tough…we kind of didn’t have much to do with last year’s budget that much,” Man-Hudspith said. “And so I think during Short Term, we went over budget by a bit. I don’t remember the exact amount, but I think that’s what partly influenced our budget cut this year.”
The managers found out about the budget cut during a call with Dressler over the summer.
“They had to cut the budget for Campus Life in general. Since we were able to make money, they thought that we could still be profitable with less money. So it was a strategic idea,” Montswillo said. “I think they thought that by cutting our budget, we will still make the money, but we’ll just have to skip down on things. I don’t know what their logic was.”
Last school year, budget allowances, along with large profits, allowed the Ronj to improve. Man-Hudspith shared that new menu items were added because of this. But budget cuts mean that the Ronj may have to pivot their approach by upping prices by 50 to 75 cents or limiting hours.
“We’re trying to limit that as much as possible, because I think one of the best things about the Ronj, other than its proximity to campus, is that it’s cheaper than a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts coffee,” Man-Hudspith added.
Despite the cuts, Ronj managers are still hopeful that the coffee shop will thrive. According to an anonymous employee, the Ronj is so far doing “very well” this semester.
“I think we all are pretty confident that we can use our profit [for operating costs] if the budget is too low,” Man-Hudspith said. “We see how much more popular the Ronj has become, and so we think we can keep that up and definitely be able to sustain ourselves even with the lower budget.”
For Ronj employees and patrons alike, the Ronj has become a crucial part of campus, especially in the last couple of years – and that’s why managers want to ensure it can keep going.
“It’s just everyone who encounters it seems to really like it, and I think that’s what makes it pretty special,” Man-Hudspith said. “I think just keeping up with how excited everyone is about everything, making sure that everything stays up to good quality, and everyone enjoys it, and maintaining the comfort of the space is a huge thing. There’s not many places you can study on a couch at Bates.”
