A referendum gauging student support for longer service hours at AU’s Student Health Center will be on this fall’s election ballot after it was approved by a vote in the Undergraduate Senate.
The referendum, proposed by Class of 2013 Senator Brett Atanasio, would outline possible ways that the Health Center could increase availability.
One option is to open the Health Center from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays, with the last appointment available at 11:45 a.m, said Atanasio, the author of the referendum.
The other option is to open the Health Center on Saturdays for cases of illness or injury that require immediate care. This would not include physicals, immunization or women’s annual visits, Atanasio stated in the referendum.
The reason for crafting the referendum is to gain data on student support to present to the University Budget Committee in the spring. In doing so, the Student Government will work to make sure students’ voices are heard.
“It’s important have student support because it puts us in a much stronger position when the Budget Committee is talking about allocations,” Atanasio said.
A referendum allows definitive proof that the student body is concerned about an issue. In this case, it is the Health Center’s hours, which is something the SG can have a say in, Atanasio said.
“I think it’s important for students to know that SG is really trying to fight for issues that they care about,” Atanasio said. “A lot of students are cynical about Student Government … but in this case the Student Government does have the power to make this happen.”
Last spring, Atanasio and a group of SG Senators and Executives met with Dan Bruey, the director of the Health Center, to outline a pilot program for increased service hours for the clinic.
The group included Women’s Initiative Director Quinn Pregliasco, Class of 2012 Senator Adam Daniel Wayman, former SG President Andy MacCracken, current SG President Nate Bronstein and SG Comptroller Ed Levandoski.
Atanasio said they determined at the meeting that the Health Center would need a bigger allocation in their two-year budget from the University to make any expansions to Health Center hours.
Then the SG will decide from there how to proceed with urging the administration to allocate more money for the Health Center’s budget.
Wayman said the referendum was a step forward in directly addressing the needs of students.
“I think that this referendum is an excellent example of how we can take the voice of the students and really put it to work at this university,” Wayman said.
amooney@theeagleonline.com
