Expansions for two of the three organizations that presented for the Student Fees Advisory Committee on Monday have caused each to request additional funding from the student body.
The Center for Students with Disabilities requested a base augmentation of $431,306 and $5,906 in one-time funding.
CSD has experienced a 5 percent overall increase in the number of students that rely on its services, CSD said during the presentation. It requested funds to hire a new counselor. The position has remained vacant due to a change in hiring policies and above-average workloads.
“This has been the busiest semester I’ve ever seen,” said Cheryl Amoruso, director of CSD.
Despite the increased demand for services, students rarely wait more than a few days to meet with a counselor. CSD predicts the number of students receiving its services will increase by 8 percent over the following year, Amoruso said.
Intercollegiate Athletics asked for a base of $4,407,707, with no augmentation.
Mack Rhoades, vice president for Intercollegiate Athletics, stressed his gratitude to SFAC and his commitment to maintaining a partnership with students as stadium construction begins and games move off-campus.
“We want to make it as convenient as we possibly can for our students,” Rhodes said.
Rhoades also praised UH’s student athletes for their academic performance. The cumulative GPA of student-athletes is the highest ever, as is the number of hours passed per term.
“One of the things we’re most proud of is the type of student athletes we have,” Rhoades said.
Intercollegiate Athletics is looking into providing free parking and shuttle services for students who wish to attend off-campus games.
After Intercollegiate Athletics requested the same amount for this fiscal year, it received about $4,369,000, said TJ Meagher, associate athletics director for Internal Operations. He expects the same amount will be given to it for FY14.
The Division of Student Affairs requested a base of $533,746 and an augmentation of $330,195.
Richard Walker, Vice President for Student Affairs, stressed the importance and benefits of having a director of Assessment and Planning.
The office recently hired a marketing and communications manager, and $52,000 was requested to pay his salary. The office still needs to hire a director of Assessment and Planning. Walker requested $75,000 to pay this salary.
“One thing that we are trying to focus on is assessing our retention and graduation rates and how we can increase them. Having this position will help us demonstrate how we are improving in these areas,” Walker said.
This concludes the SFAC hearings. The first deliberations hearings will take place Wednesday.
Edit at 2:17 p.m. 11/7: Intercollegiate Athletics requested $4,369,000 for FY13, not $4,639,000.
