News
 

SFAC hearings begin with 8 presentations

UC seeks money to renovate; Campus Rec faces a jump in utilities, no maintenance fund

Cougar News Staff

Representatives of the University Center and Associated Facilities made their request for $1.24 million in student fees during the first day of Student Fees Advisory Committee hearings Friday, saying their top priority is renovations at the UC.

Among the work needed is repairing the foundation in the 37-year-old building.

"The foundation (work) will take a year," UC Director Keith T. Kowalka said. "We have some estimates that range from $300,000 to a million dollars."

Among the other work planned for the building is a renovation of the entrance to the UC Underground.

Another issue facing the UC is the retail space on the lower level vacated by STA Travel. Kowalka said options have been considered for the space include an Internet cafe, an ice cream parlor and a telephone rental business. 

"We have to look at contracts and what makes sense," he said. "We're going to a council of campus leaders meeting to talk about what students really need and what students really want in the UC."

The UC's SFAC report indicates management hopes to have a new business in the space by the beginning of the fall semester.

In addition to its SFAC allocation, the UC will receive about $1.98 million in dedicated student fees. Last year, the UC received the second-highest SFAC allocation, about $1.17 million.

Friday's other big-ticket presentation came from the Department of Campus Recreation, which requested $464,939 on top of its $5.9 million in dedicated student fees.

The biggest budget challenges facing the department are a projected 40 percent increase in utility costs this spring and the lack of a capital improvement fund for the recreation facilities, the department's director, Kathy Anzivino, told the committee.

Anzivino said the department has looked at ways to generate income -- for example, selling advertising space within the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. However, "the last administration said that all of our funding must come from student fees," she said.

If cuts become necessary, Anzivino said she will seek student input before changes are made.

Other groups that made presentations Friday were the Student Information & Assistance Center, which requested $162,607; Dean of Students Success Programs, which requested $94,551; and the dean of students' office, which asked for $40,376 for publication of the Student Handbook.

Also, Student Legal Services requested $84,550; Student Publications (the department that oversees The Daily Cougar) requested $176,758; and the Child Care Center requested $101,417.

SFAC hearings resume at 8:45 a.m. today and will continue Tuesday and Friday.

With reporting by staff writers Bridget Brown, Portia-Elaine Gant and Matthew Shepherd.
 

 Send comments to dcnews@mail.uh.edu