The UF Student Government fee committee met Wednesday to discuss raising student activity and service fees.
Ty Robare (Impact), vice chairman of the budget appropriations committee, and UF Student Body treasurer Nicholas Carre (Access) said there should be an increase in the budget of $0.51 per credit hour to keep up with operational costs of the Reitz Union expansion, add another Sorority and Fraternity Affairs adviser, add a RecSports dietitian and expand its CORE program, which will help students go on domestic trips. The current student fees are $19.06 per credit hour. With the increase, it would be $19.57 per credit hour.
Robare said it’s important to raise the budget to accommodate the additions to the Reitz. After construction is completed, the union will house several student organizations, like Multicultural and Diversity Affairs and GatorWell.
Some UF departments asked for a budget increase with presentations of their programs and how much money they would need for the 2016-2017 year.
Ernesto Escoto, the director for UF’s Counseling and Wellness Center, said additional money would go toward increasing online services for PaCE students, restarting a program for postdoctoral students to work in the CWC and increasing staff salaries.
Escoto said the CWC won’t give up.
"We’ll come back again and ask you next year," he said.
Contact Caitlin Ostroff at costroff@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @ceostroff
Contact Ansley Pentz at apentz@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @ansley_pentz
