ASUI committee hears student fee increase proposals
Changing the name of the Student Union Building to the Bruce M. Pitman Center was purely ceremonial, said ASUI President Nate Fisher at Thursday’s Student Activity Fee Hearing, but it also illustrated a loss of student space.
When Pitman arrived on campus over 40 years ago, and in the decades prior to his arrival, the SUB was home to dance clubs, tea rooms, bowling alleys and dining areas. Fisher said it was a space where students could go to relax — now, as current students know, the space is primarily administrative.
Nathan Romans | Argonaut
ASUI President Nate Fisher addresses the ASUI senators during the second senate meeting of the semester 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Whitewater room in the commons.
“I look around, and we don’t have a lot of space where students can congregate to just hang out and really get to know one another,” Fisher said. “We’re looking for a space that would be able to accommodate a couple pool tables, ping pong tables, some foosball tables and reading materials, and provide an open access space that students could use as they wish.”
That’s why Fisher said he requested a $2 increase per student in student fees for the next academic year. Fisher said the fee increase would go toward creating a shared student space on campus, specifically for hiring an architectural firm and interior design firm.
ASUI has its eyes on Commons 215, which is currently occupied by the College of Education until their building renovations are completed in 2016. Once the College of Education moves out, Fisher said the space had been promised back to UI students. Fisher said ASUI is tentatively planning to make the lounge a 24-hour access space.
An estimate, provided by Director of Architectural and Engineering Services Raymond Pankopf, placed the project around $265,000. ASUI is currently short $87,000. Fisher said the $2 increase would equate to approximately $96,000 after two years.
Fisher served on the Student Fee Committee, along with ASUI Director of Policy Tanner Beymer. The pair was accompanied and advised by ASUI Vice President Sarah Vetsmany, ASUI President Pro Tempore Michael Ryan and ASUI Director of Finance Kailey Holt.
The committee heard from different entities and programs on campus that also wanted an increase in the their allocation of the funds derived from student fees.
The UI Marching Band, which draws 66 percent of its funding from student activity fees, requested a $2.25 increase — $6.25 to $8.50 — to accommodate operating expenses and an instrument replacement program.
According to Director of Athletic Bands Spencer Martin and Director of the Lionel Hampton School of Music Torrey Lawrence, the program’s sousaphones and percussion instruments are held together with tape. The replacement cost for each would cost $135,000 and $40,000, respectively.
According to Assistant Vice Provost for Student Affairs Greg Tatham, a $7.50 fee increase, up from the current $41.87, is necessary to maintain the current staffing and services provided by Student Health Services.
Student Health Services is comprised of four major components: Student Health Insurance Program, Vandal Health Education and Nutrition Education, the Student Health Services Clinic and salary support for the UI psychiatrist and psychologist at the campus Counseling and Testing Center. Currently, student fees account for 67 percent of the Student Health Services budget.
According to Associate Director of Competitive and Recreational Sports Butch Fealy, when a recreational facility requires maintenance, the funds usually come out of campus recreation or intramural budgets — especially non-revenue fields, such as the Arboretum, Guy Wick’s Field and the tennis courts. Fealy requested a $5 fee increase, which equates to about $80,000 a year, to begin moving towards projects, such as lighting Guy Wick’s field or installing synthetic turf.
The UI Student Counseling and Testing Center has seen more freshmen seek counseling this year than ever before, said CTC Director Joan Pulakos. Currently, the CTC receives $16.36 in student activity fees, and Pulakos requested a $0.49 increase.
Currently, $127.96, or 20 percent of student fees, goes toward intercollegiate athletics. Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Eligibility John Wallace said these fees are used toward team travel, game operations and equipment. He requested a $5 increase in full-time student activity fees, as well as an increase in part-time student activity fees from $3 to $3.50.
Rob Anderson, director of University Support Services, asked for a $3.06 increase in student fees for operation and revenue of the Kibbie Dome, Memorial Gym and UI Swim Center.
Anderson said without the additional funds from fees, USS — currently the largest student employer on campus — may have to decrease its student staff size.
The Office of Multicultural Affairs has requested a student fee increase of $0.16 to keep up with increases to health benefits rates and funding of a Change in Employee Compensation, estimated at 3 percent for FY2016.
Lysa Salsbury, director of the UI Women’s Center, asked for a $0.20 fee increase per full-time student. She said the money would cover a 3 percent increase in salary and benefits, which would align with UI President Chuck Staben’s JFAC proposal earlier this week.
The total increase Salsbury is proposing for 2016 is $3,238, or 30 percent of the Women’s Center program budget. Without the increase, the Women’s Center, which supports 62 percent of the LGBTQA Office’s salary and benefits, would have to dip into its current program funding to pay all staff salaries.
The Student Fee Committee plans to discuss each proposal in the coming weeks.
Hannah Shirley and Claire Whitley can be reached at [email protected]