REAFFIRMATIONS:
Undergraduate and graduate students will vote on these two initiatives:
 |
|
|
Do you reaffirm a mandatory fee of $5.85 per undergraduate and graduate student
per quarter, including summer, in order to provide funds to maintain service levels
for Counseling and Career Services? If reaffirmed, the fee will continue to be assessed
until subject to reaffirmation in spring 2013.
Counseling Services receives $2.69 (of the $5.85 fee) to see graduate and undergraduate
students who are in emotional distress. Along with providing confidential individual
counseling, we work with roommates, friends, parents, teaching assistants, faculty,
and staff to help them get counseling for someone in need. Students also now have
access to counseling 24/7 through our phone consultation services. Re-affirmation
of this fee will allow us to continue to support psychologist positions, and budget
permitting, avoid co-payments and reduced hours. A yes vote for this reaffirmation
will ensure that we are able to continue to offer these essential services to all
graduate and undergraduate students in need.
Career Services receives $3.16 (of
the $5.85 fee) to assist approximately 10,000 students per year with career-related
issues such as major and career selection; access to internships and part and full-time
jobs; assistance with graduate school applications; provision of job search tools
such as workshops, employer information sessions, job fairs, and on campus interviews
assistance. Specifically, these monies support one career counselor, one job developer
and related marketing efforts, and the free three-month grace period for students
after graduation. Reaffirming this fee will support employer development, outreach,
career counseling staff, and budget permitting, enable us to avoid reducing hours
and instituting or increasing fees for testing, job fairs, and workshops. By voting
for this fee, you ensure Career Services will continue to be available for your
career counseling needs and continue to offer quality services.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Do you reaffirm a mandatory fee of $4.25 per undergraduate and graduate student
per quarter, including summer, in order to enable the Women’s Center to maintain
programs and staff positions? If reaffirmed, the fee will continue to be assessed
until subject to reaffirmation in spring 2013.
The Women’s Center support fee will help maintain staff and programs such as the
Rape Prevention Education Program (RPEP) and the Resource Center for Sexual and
Gender Diversity (RCSGD). Due to budget reductions over the past few years, both
programs have had to cut back staff and services. Even with the support fee, current
and projected budget cuts could lead to further reductions in staff and services.
In addition to maintaining staff and services, the support fee will help with operating
costs of the public spaces within the Women’s Center (e.g., the library, art gallery,
meeting rooms, re-entry and non-traditional student lounge). It will also help to
improve current Women’s Center programs and services such as 1) the rape prevention
education program; 2) help for individuals in crisis; 3) support for lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/intersex/ally
communities; 4) student-initiated activities and events; 5) expanded operating hours
by maintaining student staff; 6) student internships; and 7) workshops, lectures,
films and other educational programming.
|
|
NEW FEES:
Only undergraduate students will vote on the initiative:
|
|
|
|
Do you approve of a $3.10 per undergraduate student per quarter, including state-funded
summer quarters, mandatory fee increase to provide funding to support academic,
social and cultural programming designed to meet student-centered retention efforts?
The fee may also be used to fund student staff salaries in support of this program.
($0.78 is for return to aid and $2.32 goes to EOP). The fee is in addition to the
$2.75 per student per quarter (fall, winter, spring and summer) currently collected.
If passed, the fee increase would begin fall 2009, be subject to joint reaffirmation
(base fee of $2.75 plus increase of $3.10) in spring 2013, and raise the total undergraduate
per student quarterly fee to $5.85 (fall, winter, spring and summer). Failure of
the reaffirmation of the base fee of $2.75 negates the increase, whether or not
the increase passes.
For over 30 years, the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) has offered a student-centered
retention service that has assisted students in their transition to the university,
in their pursuit of a baccalaureate degree, and in their advancement towards attaining
a professional or doctoral degree. While EOP focuses on first generation and/or
low-income students, some programs, such as the Summer Transitional Enrichment Program
(STEP), peer advisors, and cultural services, are open to all undergraduate students.
Budget permitting, an affirmation of this fee increase will allow EOP to continue
supporting academic, social and cultural programming to the general campus and help
meet student-centered retention efforts.
|
|
|
Only undergraduate students will vote on these two initiatives:
|
|
|
|
Do you reaffirm a mandatory fee of $2.75 per undergraduate student per quarter,
including summer, in order to support EOP programs and services? The EOP student
services fee will help to continue student-centered retention programs and services
that will be available to all UCSB students. If reaffirmed, the fee will continue
to be assessed until subject to reaffirmation in spring 2013.
For over 30 years, the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) has offered a student-centered
retention service that has assisted students in their transition to the university,
in their pursuit of completing a baccalaureate degree, and in their advancement
towards attaining a professional or doctoral degree. While EOP focuses on first
generation and/or low-income students, some programs, such as the Summer Transitional
Enrichment Program (STEP), peer advisors, and cultural services, are open to all
undergraduate students. This EOP student services fee currently supports out-of-class
learning experiences accessible to all students by: [1] providing one-on-one and
group mentoring by our counselors and student staff; [2] maintaining student employment
opportunities through our peer-to-peer and cultural services programs; [3] sustaining
and increasing academic, career and leadership development opportunities to comparable
levels prior to our budget cuts; [4] co-sponsoring student-initiated programs and
events that facilitate collaboration between students, the administration, faculty
and the surrounding UCSB community; and [5] strengthening campus-wide programming
that addresses issues such as the low rates of recruitment, retention and graduation
of first-generation and/or low-income students within the university system.
Currently, there is an EOP/Associated Students lock-in fee of $1.25 which provides
funding to EOP financial aid recipients only for emergencies associated with the
educational costs of attending UCSB.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Do you reaffirm a mandatory fee of $0.89 per undergraduate per quarter, including
summer, in order to provide funding for the Student Medical Emergency Relief Fund
(SMERF) for students who are not able to cover the costs of medical procedures?
If reaffirmed, the fee will continue to be assessed until subject to reaffirmation
in spring 2013.
The fee augments the approx. $2,500 per year generated from interest on the “Jack
Canfield Chicken Soup Fund.” The fund (an endowment which is not student fee supported)
provides assistance to undergraduate and graduate students experiencing medical
emergencies. The SMERF fee provides additional money for students for medical emergencies.
By increasing the money in the fund, more interest can be generated which will increase
the availability of funds for students in need. The fund supplements existing insurance
coverage and/or helps students meet costs of procedures not covered by insurance.
The fund is governed by a board consisting of student members and career staff representing
several student services on campus. The board meets with applicants once a week
to review their requests. During the 2007-08 year, 63 students applied for the fund,
receiving a total of $90,622 toward their medical, dental and optical emergencies.
|
|
|
|
|
|
All registered students are invited to submit written statements of support or opposition
for publication in the Daily Nexus. Pro/Con statements must include the author’s
name and be submitted electronically to suzanne.perkin@sa.ucsb.edu, by 5 pm on Tuesday,
April 7, 2009. Statements will appear in the Daily Nexus on Tuesday, April 14 and
Wednesday, April 15.
|
|
|
|
|
|
How to vote:
Go to the UCSB Gold system and follow the instructions after pressing
the “Student Elections” button. You may vote on any computer with internet access.
Computer banks are located at the SRB, UCen, Davidson Library, and many residence
halls. Any difficulty voting should be reported to 893-8824.
|
|
|
|
|
A minimum 20 percent voter turnout is required in order for the elections to be
considered valid. A reaffirmation fails if 60% + one of the voters vote “no”. A
sliding scale based on the 5-year average voter turnout (27.64 percent for undergraduates,
27.24 percent for undergraduates and graduate students combined) is used to determine
whether an initiative passes. If there is a 20 percent voter turnout, two thirds
of those voting must support the measure. If the turnout is 27.64 percent or higher
for measures voted on by undergraduates only, or, 27.24 percent or higher for measures
voted on by both undergraduates and graduate students, a 50 percent plus one voter
approval is needed for the initiative to pass.
These campus-wide measures will be on the ballot along with candidates for A.S.
offices and A.S. fee reaffirmation items. Graduate students will vote on a separate
ballot. Be sure to be a registered student by April 17, 2009, to be eligible to
vote! This voter information pamphlet has been produced by the Campus Elections
Commission. The commission, which is composed of students, faculty, and staff members,
is a neutral body which advises the chancellor on all matters pertaining to campus-wide
elections and conducts elections in such a way that the interests of the voters
and the institution are well served through the process. The Campus Elections Commission
is NOT affiliated with Associated Students elections.
|
|
|
|
