Michael Mojica said he used to not know where his health fee dollars went.

Now, as vice chairman of the Health and Recreation Fee Student Advisory Board and a member of the Recreation Advisory Committee, he’s starting to understand.

The Student Health and Recreation Fee was originally instituted as a mandatory fee in March 2010. After increases last year, the fee now stands at $300 per student, unless that student is studying abroad, is enrolled at UA South, or exhibits other “special circumstances,” according to the UA Student Affairs website. It is the second-highest mandatory fee on campus, after the Information Technology and Library Fee.

The student board provides feedback and advice on how fees are administered with the Health and Recreation Fee, said Kris Kreutz, the director of administrative services for Campus Health Service. They also relay information to their constituents at the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, Graduate and Professional Student Council and many other campus organizations the board members are involved in, Mojica said. Last year, they took a vote to approve the fees.

“In the case of the health service, most of the funding actually goes toward staffing,” Kreutz said. This includes baseline staffing in areas such as Counseling and Psych Services and Health Promotion and Preventive Services.

Most of the funding goes to direct patient care or student care services, he said. The money is also used for public health purposes in case of emergencies and mass clinic preparation purposes.

“I think that’s the thing I like the best,” Mojica, a senior studying psychology and sociology, said. “They’re not just throwing money away, you know, they’re actually getting something out of it.”
One of the goals of the board is to communicate to students that the 12-member student board exists. Usually, students are
recommended through different campus programs, but they can also apply by going through a particular organization or entity, Kreutz said. The organization is looking to fill two more positions this semester.

“You can certainly identify the fact that there are student representatives coming from a variety of different areas across campus,” he said.

Students on the advisory board voice their opinions regarding fees for Campus Health and Campus Recreation. The funding that is administered shows up as a health and wellness fee on students’ bills, he said. The board is a cross-section of students, ranging from off-campus housing students to students in the Residence Hall Association, Kreutz said. The board will be more student-led this year, Mojica said. For this upcoming term, Kreutz said he is not sure how many students from last year’s board will return. However, Chairman Andrew Wall and Mojica will both be returning.

Whether it’s the Student Health Advisory Committee, the Recreation Advisory Committee, the Fraternity and Sorority Programs or the International Student Programs and Services, the intent was to get a broad representation of students on the board, Mojica said.

In the board meetings, the directors from Campus Health and Campus Recreation present the business information to the Student Advisory Board. There, the student board members can see exactly what the fees are going toward, Kreutz said.

The Health and Recreation Fee Student Advisory Board wants students from many organizations to have a say, Mojica said.

“I think the thing I like most about being on the board is just being able to have a voice in there,” he said.