Members of the student government’s budget allocation committee pressed the University of Wisconsin’s health provider for increased accountability and funding breakdowns of where student dollars are spent during a Monday budget hearing.
The Student Services Finance Committee heard budgets for University Health Services, Rape Crisis Center and Tenant Resource Center during their meeting. Members called for itemized lists of the organizations’ budgets and access to the body’s internal funding allocation model in order to make a fully informed decision.
According to the UHS budget, 83 percent of the services’ funding comes from student segregated fees. The 2012-2013 budget presented includes a request for $12,894,543 in student fees, which calls for no increase in the $170.68 Student Health Fee assessed to UW students.
UHS Executive Director Sarah Van Orman said the budget includes hiring a full-time nurse practitioner to staff a satellite clinic opening in the Lake House area. She said the idea for a satellite came from University Housing approaching UHS officials. The clinic will include a single exam room and small lab area to treat minor illnesses for any student on campus.
While Housing will pay for the facility’s construction, UHS is supplying all medical supplies and staffing, she said.
The budget also includes adding one additional full-time mental health provider, which Van Orman said is necessary to meet an increasing demand from students for these services. Nearly 21,000 students are projected to use UHS mental health services before the end of 2012.
Members of the committee requested further itemized budget breakdowns as well as the model UHS utilizes to allocate money to its various centers before its budget decision on Thursday.
In response to a request for an itemized list for staffing salaries, Van Orman said the information should be publically available and UHS only has one reserve fund and could not break down segregated fees in the fund.
“We wouldn’t be able to separate that out,” she said.
In an interview with The Badger Herald, SSFC Chair Sarah Neibart said these itemized budgets were requested of all non-allocable units applying for funding, although it is difficult for some organizations to show where each dollar goes because of the complexity of these budgets.
“Since we’re the stewards of students’ money, we need to know. … This sheds light on the reason why we need to have increased information,” she said. “Right now, there’s very limited accountability.”
She added without more information available by the budget decision meeting, committee representatives could say they are unable to approve the budget without additional details.
Rape Crisis Center Director Kelly Anderson also presented on the center’s budget, which includes access to the crisis line, advocacy services and community outreach and education. For a budgeting period from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2015, the center is requesting $60,214, an increase from a budget of $52,907 from three years ago.
While SSFC Vice Chair Chase Wilson asked whether the increased budget was caused by greater costs to operate or by expanding access, Anderson said the center is seeing an increasing number of calls coming to the crisis line.
Elizabeth Gokey, a housing resource specialist at the Tenant Resource Center, presented on the group’s budget for $60,000. This marks a $20,000 increase over the 2011 budget of $40,000 for staffing contacts.
