The Student Health Center presented a formal request to the Student Required Fee Committee for a fee increase Thursday. The request comes nearly one month after the implementation of the $20 Student Health Center fee increase initially approved in 2006. The proposed student fee increase calls for a $60 increase during a three-year period beginning fall 2009. The increase would raise the current $120 student fee to $180 by 2011. Arthur Goulas, Student Health Center director, said a fee increase is essential to maintain the current level of services offered to students and keep the department out of the red due to inflation. The Student Health Center account currently holds $212,542. The department budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year is projected to decrease to $39,379. According to a budgetary projection summary, the department will be $619,622 in the red by the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Additionally, the summary projects that without a fee increase, the department will be $1,239,597 in debt by the 2010-2011 fiscal year and have a negative balance of $1,709,840 by 2011-2012. “I don’t think the University will tolerate me being 2 million in the red,” Goulas said. He said with a fee increase the department will maintain a positive balance of $1,150,804 by the 2011-2012 fiscal year. While the proposed fee increase would not affect students until the 2009-2010 fiscal year, it is the Student Health Center’s turn to come before the SRF Committee for financial review according to the initial agenda. Goulas said the early planning is important to give students advanced notice of a possible fee increase. “We are here early because it is our time to be reviewed,” Goulas said. “It’s always difficult for me to come before anyone asking for money. Unfortunately fee increases are a part of life.” Goulas said he has explored other sources funding but with no avail. He said because the center is not an academic institution, many students do not realize the state legislature does not allocate money to help sustain operations. While the committee debated the fee increase during the meeting, the vote was ultimately deferred to the next SRF Committee meeting in two weeks. If the center receives a fee increase, Goulas said fees would fund an electronic clinic system with medical records and appointment scheduling, two new medical clinic air conditioning units and an additional security system. In addition, he said the center has consulted architects who are currently completing a facility study regarding a possible expansion or new facility. Josh King, vice president of Student Government, serves on the committee and raised concerns that the large fee increase would generate a monetary surplus for the department. King said he would not oppose a student fee increase that would generate the minimal amount needed to cover the center’s operating expenses for the next few years. “With generating such large funds that looks like a number you could put toward a capital plan and that is not the intent of this committee,” King said. Cassie Alsfeld, president of Student Government, chairs the SRF Committee and voiced the idea of exploring a third-party billing system. Alsfeld explained the system would involve using a student’s insurance company to generate fees. Colorado Robertson, Student Senate speaker, also serves on the committee and supported Alsfeld’s idea. “I have no problem giving you my insurance card and you bill my insurance company $50 each time I go in,” he said. Robertson also presented the idea of pooling reserves from all four auxiliaries the SRF Committee oversees. The other auxiliaries exempt from receiving federal financial assistance include the University Student Recreational Complex, the Student Union Theater and on-campus parking. “Why can’t our auxiliaries have one set of reserves so this money isn’t just piling up in these departments that all these units can draw from?” Robertson said. Robert Kuhn, associate vice chancellor for the Office of Budget and Planning, said pooling the reserves for each auxiliary to draw from is not a solution. He said if an auxiliary needed to dip into reserves set aside for capital needs to cover operating needs, it would detract from funds needed for capital projects. “When it is beneficial to the students and University to pool it, we do,” Kuhn said. “But it is also critical that each one have a business plan.” Robertson said the SRF Committee should not completely forgo the voice of the students and the decision needs to be presented before the Student Senate. “This committee did take some of the authority away from students,” Robertson said. King said the reason the committee was created was to have a reasonable and predictable fee increase. “We are here to be able to express that opinion and say hey this is what’s going on with the students,” King said.
—-Contact Natalie Messina at [email protected]