Nineteen items for next years student services fee were discussed at Tuesday’s student services fee board meeting.
Hotly contested proposals for an Associated Students of the University of Arizona Book Scholarship extravaganza, which would offer $500 to about 55 need-based applicants to aid book expenses or paid mentorships in the Arizona Assurance Scholars program, were met with hesitance. Most appreciated the aims of the programs but agreed they simply don’t having the money to fund them.
Matthew Totlis, chair of the student services fee advisory board, said new programs like Alternative Breaks “”caught (the board) by surprise.””
Alternative Breaks, a program headed by the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership will take 25 undergraduate and graduate students on a volunteer spring break trip.
Other items were expected.
“”We got a lot of ‘save our program’ proposals,”” Totlis said, noting his frustrations during the meeting of poorly-written and redundant proposals presented.
The state of the economy and the rising costs of college were on many of the board members minds throughout the meeting, as they noted every department’s budget is feeling the squeeze.
Many programs received recommendations for either partial or no funding, with requests topping $3.6 million and their budget for recommendations coming in at $1.2 million, one-third that amount.
“”(The board is) a really professional group and they take their job very seriously,”” said David Heineking, director of UA Parking and Transportation Services.
Heineking came out to lobby for disability cart services to fund the golf cart drivers who help temporarily and permanently disabled students get to class, a program which received about one-third of its requested funding.
“”It’s all for student money to support students,”” said Juliette Moore, director of Campus Recreation. “”If the student services fee (is) approved then we would get our money, but we don’t know that so you have to come out.””
The Student Recreation Center was one of many programs that were recommended for partial funding. More than 40 people came out in support of their specific programs.
Of the 19 items on the agenda, one was tabled, the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership’s Friday Night Live! Three were passed with full funding, Center for Student Involvement and Leadership’s Alternative Breaks and Career Services’ two proposals for outreach student staff and Web resources, six were denied and the rest given about one-third of their desired funding.
The standing budget for recommendations is more than $880,000 for allocation to save older programs such as Savvy Student $3 Wednesdays at Student Union restaurants or new programs such as the ThinkTank.
Nineteen more items will be discussed at a meeting on Friday. Those recommendations will then be sent to the Vice President of Student Affairs Melissa Vito who will approve final funding for the programs outlined in the meetings of the board.
If you want to go the second half of the board meeting on student services fee money Friday’s meeting, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Presentation room of Old Main.
If you want to be even more involved in the Student Services Advisory Board, being directly involved in where that money goes, application for next year’s five open spots, four for undergraduates and one for graduate students, open next Friday and will be due in late March.
IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING
–agenda for the next meeting is here: http://studentaffairs.arizona.edu/servicesfee/pdfs/board_agenda_20100219.pdf
–more about student services fee and the board can be found here: http://studentaffairs.arizona.edu/servicesfee/ 6211790
