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SSFC approves program’s budget

The Student Services Finance Committee allocated the Child Care Tuition Assistance Program a 1.8 percent increase from their previous working budget in a meeting Monday night.

The program, which awards need-based grants to student parents, was allocated $672,000 for their 2005-06 budget, up from the 2004-05 budget of $660,000.

After short debate, SSFC concluded without making any cuts to the requested 2005-06 budget. However, several possible modifications were discussed before members passed the final budget.

SSFC member Brad Vogel, who was not present for CCTAP’s presentation last week, questioned the importance of offering stress reduction and yoga classes for student parents. Vogel also expressed concern for added costs of holding events off campus.

“I do think those (events) are somewhat frivolous and students are not getting the real bang for [their] buck,” Vogel said.

However, Assistant Dean of Students Connie Wilson, who serves as an advisor for the committee, said CCTAP justified these costs because they were unable to hold their event on campus due to restrictive policies on providing free food. Instead, she said, the organization was able to find an off-campus site with a modest fee, which allows them to bring in food and is located conveniently on the bus line.

SSFC member Barb Kiernoziak said the yoga and stress reduction classes were a minor part of a more important event available to student parents through CCTAP. She said CCTAP has an event to recruit people and complete evaluations of their program, which is vital to the success of their organization.

Kiernoziak said cuts should not be made to the budget unless a solution to prevent hurting a type of family, such as single-parent families, is determined.

“Over half a million dollars of their budget goes to grants so those cuts would be arbitrary,” Kiernoziak said.

CCTAP member Becka Robbins said she was pleased with the unchanged budget allocation. She said the organization may not directly affect SSFC members, but it affects the campus as a whole.

“We’re very appreciative of this group of representatives understanding the importance of this program,” Robbins said