Department of Student Life requests new fees

The funds would create a student involvement marketing office.

By Kaylen Ralph

Published Nov. 3, 2009

The Department of Student Life approached the Student Fee Review Committee last week with a request to reallocate student fees to finance a new student involvement marketing office in the Student Involvement Center.

Department of Student Life Director Mark Lucas said the office would be used to increase MU graduates' prospects of getting a job in an increasingly competitive job marketplace.

"Employers tell us when they are interviewing soon-to-be college grads," Lucas said. "They're looking for something more than just the diploma. They want to see that over your four or five years you've done a lot of things allowing you to move into your new job and be effective."

Lucas added he believes the requested 33-cent-per-student increase is not a lot to ask in return for implementing what he believes is a good strategy to impact the student experience.

"Students have told us for years they come to school to get a good job, but students need to understand it's not just going to class," Lucas said. "You have to do something else. You have to."

The reallocation would amount to an approximated total of $16,000. Roughly $1,750 would go toward staffing the desk with four student ambassadors. Lucas said Student Life also plans to hire a graduate student to oversee the involvement opportunities who will be present in the office to answer students' questions. This would also be a paid position. The possible office is slotted for construction in phase two of work on the student center.

The remaining money is allotted for the development of a Web site, through which students could learn of opportunities for finding campus jobs, going to events, working with faculty to do research and becoming a member or leader of various student organizations.

Missouri Students Association President Jordan Paul said the premise of the idea is fine, but the issue of the Web development cost is one that needs to be addressed.

"We're already supposed to be paying for Web development now, but we're not using those resources for this project, so why would we pay more money to outsource the work for this issue?" Paul said.

The idea for this institution was brought to Lucas' attention after the Department of Student Life had submitted its budget to the SFRC. He said he then started a group of staff to promote student involvement, and this was one of the strategies they came up with.

Lucas approached Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Cathy Scroggs about the idea, and she told him to ask SFRC for an increase in the reallocation of student fee inflation for next year.

The Department of Student Life will present its proposition to the committee Nov. 17. SFRC Chairman and MSA Budget Committee Chairman Matt Sheppard said the committee is being cautious about this proposition.

"We're keeping an open mind about the issue but for the people that have been on the committee before, we're keeping in mind that Student Life asked for an increase last year as well that was denied," Sheppard said. "We're approaching it with caution. We have our opinions and they have theirs but we're going to listen to their side before we make any final decisions."