A $1.2 million increase in University Health Services’ budget for the next fiscal year will serve to expand mental health and sexual assault prevention services, as well as closing the organization’s current structural deficit, according to UHS Executive Director Sarah Van Orman.
Van Orman and UHS Administrative Director Arnold Jennerman presented the proposed budget to the Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee at its Feb. 8 meeting.
UHS provides students with primary care services, specialty services and mental health programs, as well as methods for sexual assault and violence prevention.
An increased demand for services in recent years, as well as student requests for improved mental health and sexual assault prevention services, is what Van Orman said prompted UHS to ask for the unusually large budget increase.
Van Orman said although UHS remains committed to providing high-quality mental health services to students, a lack of funding for additional staff members in this area has led to long wait times between appointments.
“For a student who might be struggling with an issue that’s really impacting their ability to concentrate, that’s impacting their ability to get their work done, eight weeks is a really long time in the course of a semester,” Van Orman said. “We know that we’re not really meeting the need in a way that feels good for us.”
The budget increase would provide for 12.5 new staff members, which Van Orman said could mean at least 6,000 new sessions to decrease wait times.
SSFC Representative Natasha Thimmesch asked whether the new positions would include more staff of color, which she said was a concern for students on campus. Van Orman said it was “absolutely” a part of the proposal.
With the budget increase, funds for sexual assault prevention and violence prevention would double, according to Van Orman, and UHS would have two additional confidential victim advocates for students to speak with after an assault.
SSFC members discussed merits of approving the fund increase for UHS services in contrast with keeping segregated fees at an affordable level for students.
Representative Erin Harper said she was initially concerned with the large increase, but that the additional services will be worth supporting.
“If we can just make UHS the most accessible resource possible, that would benefit all students,” Harper said.
SSFC unanimously approved UHS’s budget at $14,892,560 at its meeting Feb. 15.
