Despite protests from several groups, the Student Services Fees Committee didn’t recommend full funding for many salary and officer stipend requests, saying the use of student services fees was not appropriate.
For administrative units, funding closely followed the committee’s initial recommendations, including in Boynton Health Service’s request for more mental health funding.
The final recommendations were emailed to student groups and administrative units Monday.
Groups are able to submit appeals to the SSFC’s final recommendations until 4:30 p.m. Friday. A final public hearing with Vice Provost for Student Affairs Jerry Rinehart will be held April 25.
Chabad’s final recommendation increased by nearly $9,000 from initial recommendations, but its funding for staff salaries was still cut by $5,000.
In its final recommendation rationales, the SSFC said Chabad’s use of staff was “not fully justified.”
Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow was recommended nearly $40,000 in cuts to its request, including a $26,000 reduction eliminating all of its student officer stipends.
“The majority believed the
experience and opportunities afforded to the student leadership is sufficient incentive for the time they commit to the organization, the number of members involved and the level of impact the organization has on the rest of campus,” the SSFC said in its final recommendation rationales.
Students for a Conservative Voice was also recommended cuts in stipend funding totaling about $27,000 because the committee “did not feel that the increase in your stipends was justified” in the group’s request, according to the SSFC’s final recommendation rationale.
Four student groups were recommended no student services fees funding.
The Ayn Rand Study Group — which requested more than $32,000 — had the largest unfunded fees request.
The committee said it believes the group’s projected budget carryover from last year will be enough to cover all its planned programming, according to the final recommendation rationales.
The Fraternity Purchasing Association was initially denied any fees funding. However, it was recommended its full $10,000 request in final recommendations.
The SSFC said in its final recommendation rationales that it changed its opinion based on follow-up emails it got about the “detailed services” FPA provided to non-member groups.
Mental health funding recommendation sticks
For administrative units, much funding remained the same.
After much controversy and student requests for full funding, the SSFC still didn’t increase its partial funding of Boynton’s request for extra fees to pay for more mental health staff.
The committee recommended funding to eliminate the $10 mental health co-pay and partially fund four of the six mental health staff positions Boynton
requested.
In its rationales, the committee said Boynton should absorb the cost of hiring the other two employees into other parts of its budget or reserves.