by Sunny Astorga
Staff Writer
The Student Fees Advisory Committee will begin the month-long process of hearing budget requests for the 1997-98 academic year Wednesday.
While no groups are to present requests today, the public can come to the SFAC meeting to hear Elwyn Lee, vice president of student affairs and enrollment services, give a speech.
"Dr. Lee will present an overview of institutional priorities and how institutional priorities and funding will affect student service fees," said Dean of Students William Munson, who is an SFAC adviser.
According to Craig Rickard, SFAC chairman, Lee's speech will help the committee get an idea of what administrators want. This will then facilitate the budget recommendations SFAC makes.
"We don't allocate any money. The administration officially allocates the money, (and) we are strictly a recommendation committee," Rickard said.
"We go into the hearings with an open mind and make sure we listen to everything so that we are being fair. If we feel strongly about a situation, we will appeal to the Board of Regents."
While specific fee-funded groups to be emphasized in Lee's speech have not been disclosed, Munson said he was confident Lee would touch on enrollment.
Enrollment is one of the most direct factors that determines how much money is available to allocate, Rickard said. Presently, the student service fee is $102 per student.
While the groups are making requests for the 1997-98 academic year, this year's student enrollment is used to estimate the budget.
Enrollment is increasingly important to those fee-funded groups that receive a set percentage of the funds which was derived from a formula agreed upon by UH administrators in 1988, Munson said.
"Intercollegiate Athletics receives 35 percent of the fees, or $2.3 million," he said. "If enrollment exceeded the projected enrollment, they would still get 35 percent, but others will not because they are based on specific requests."
Athletics receives the most funding from SFAC, with the University Center and Counseling and Testing Services following in second and third, respectively.
"One issue we are dealing with this year is a possible increase in the student service fee. It will not be a large increment. It usually is about $2," Rickard said.
Director of Campus Activities David Daniell said he is preparing the fee-funded groups that fall under his department by holding a mock SFAC hearing.
Fee-funded groups will begin requesting a proportion of the more than $6 million to be distributed Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. in the UC Lone Star Room.
One of the groups scheduled for a presentation Wednesday is the Child Care Center. CCC Director Marceline Devine will give the presentation.
While dollars for the center are stretched to cover costs for diapers, baby food for the children, Devine said she will request the same amount approved last year.
"We'll request $25,000 in scholarship money and $42,149 for all students in general," Devine said. The scholarship money goes to parents who may not be able to afford the full cost of child care.
According to Devine, the center receives 5 percent of its budget from the fees distributed by SFAC.
Rickard said SFAC is concentrating more on students this year, as opposed to previous years. "Retention is this year's highest priority. We need to keep the students happy at UH," he said.