Students met with university administrators Monday night to discuss the implications of the possibility of having only one adviser for three combined programs — women's studies, labor and industrial relations and African and African-American studies.

The advising positions may be combined due to a budget cut.

"There's sort of a tight budget situation at Penn State next year," program director of women's studies Carolyn Sachs said. "Until we see our budget situation, things are a little up in the air."

Presently, the women's studies department has its own budget and adviser, although it shares its staff with the LIR and AAAS departments. If the university continues as planned, women's studies would be required to share an adviser with the other two departments, rather than have a separate adviser.

Students are upset and are worried that the new adviser will be not have enough time, resources and program knowledge to advise the women's studies department as well as the other two.

Many students enrolled in the women's studies program are double-majors and have complicated scheduling needs because they are scheduling to fulfill requirements for two areas of study.

"Most of us here realize how important a women's studies adviser is," Michelle Yates (senior-women's studies) said. "I think it's important to have an adviser to help work us into our discipline."

Some students are just worried about losing the personal relationship they have established with the current women's studies adviser, Brian Jara.

"He advises me on all kinds of stuff," Erica Smith (senior-women's studies) said. "I think it's a shame that some students won't have that through college, whether with Brian or someone else."

Jennifer Barberio (senior-speech communication) agreed with Smith.

"I think women's studies majors need him as more than an adviser. We need someone who's here for the students. . . . The adviser is one of the few things left of our own," she said.

Students affected by the merger, however, will have the opportunity to have a full-time adviser. The current women's studies adviser performs three other jobs at the university, which forces him to spend time outside of the advising office. The adviser for LIR and AAAS is a full-time adviser and would be permanently available for students during regular business hours.

"We'd have someone here all day to be present," Sachs said.

Still, women's studies students fear the worst.

"I foresee that we're ending," Yates said. "If you want women's studies to expand, the worst thing you can do is get rid of the adviser. This is a really detrimental thing to do to the women's studies program."

"We're coming to a drought," she added.