For the first time since activities fees were more than doubled in 2010 to build and operate the University Student Center, Student Government, the lawful authority of those funds, was presented a budget for approval on Sept. 26 that accounts for the building’s revenue.
However, the $1.9 million budget proposal presented by Assistant Director of the University Student Center Dwayne Isaacs contained few specifics for SG members. The budget included nearly $580,000 for debt service.
Led by Sen. Christa Hegedus, the student government questioned each expense, line by line, and asked for clarification on perceived inconsistencies.
For example, $270,000 set aside for “contractual services” could be used for audio/visual equipment, elevator service, building inspections and IT support, Isaacs said. Hegedus asked if these contracts had already been signed.
No, Isaacs said, this specific outlay is a best guess with enough built in to account for unforeseen events. “There are some we don’t know until we need them.”
Likewise, Isaacs could not account specifically for the nearly $300,000 set aside for salaries, benefits and wages. All other salaries, benefits and wages for the student life department, including Isaacs’, were allocated in the budget passed by SG at the end of the spring semester.
Senators asked how overlap between residence hall, dining and student center funding would be addressed, and how each portion’s relative costs were determined. Student President Mark Lombardi-Nelson wanted clarification on how the three areas of the building were defined and Lauren Reilly, a member of the executive branch, asked if each portion of the building had separate utility meters.
“This is the tricky part about how this building is built,” Isaacs said. He believed everything not contained in the residence hall, including the kitchen and dining area, was considered the student center and the building utilized one meter, but said he would get clarification from the campus facilities department.
At one point he said the dining hall and attached kitchen and serving area were part of the student center, which is counter to explanations provided to The Crow’s Nest by university officials that the serving and kitchen area operated by private contractor Sodexo are fiscally separate from the rest of the student center.
“We were doing our best on what those numbers would look like,” Isaacs said, comparing the building’s budget to paying a home mortgage and maintenance. “This will fluctuate and change.”A second page of the budget providing the same cost breakdown for the residence hall and dining portion of the building was not presented at the meeting.
A more accurate budget would be available after three years of operation based on the average of actual expenditures, said Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Noreen Noonan, who answered questions from the gallery. “All of these (budget items) have been estimated by professionals.”
Former SG leader Christian Haas asked from the gallery why three budget items, “other capital outlay,” “overhead” and “renewal/replacement,” over $150,000 in allocations, sounded identical in purpose.
