Student services programs and activities contribute to the intellectual, cultural, and social development of students outside of the formal instructional process and enhance their ability to be successful inside the classroom. These services can have a significant influence on students’ academic outcomes as well as personal development and can help build bridges between what students learn in the classroom and how they apply their knowledge and skills on campus and in the broader community.
Student services are supported entirely from non-State funds. In 2013-14 the student services budget is $702.8 million, most of which is generated from student fees. Student services include a variety of programs:
Campus admissions and registrar operations include
the processing of applications for admission, course registration, scheduling of courses, maintaining and updating student academic records, preparing of diplomas, and reporting of statistics.
Campus financial aid offices counsel students about
their financing options; determine and monitor the eligibility of students for financial assistance; and develop financial aid packages for students, which include scholarships, fellowships, grants, fee waivers/remissions, loans, and work-study jobs from federal, State, UC, and private sources.
Counseling and career guidance assists students with
personal concerns, academic performance, choice of major, assessing interests and aptitudes, and career opportunities.
Student health services provide primary care and other
services to keep students healthy, including general outpatient medical care; specialty medical care; mental health services; and health education, including wellness and stress reduction.
Academic support services (supplemental educational
services) offer individual and group tutorial services in writing, mathematics, and study skills, as well as preparation for graduate school exams.
Social and cultural activities provide opportunities for
students to participate in student organizations and recreational and sport activities, and various forms of art (music, dance, painting, etc.).
Display XII-1: 2012-13 Student Services Expenditures by Fund Source
Student fee revenue, including campus-based fee revenue, provides 60% of the funding for student services.
Display XII-2: 2012-13 Student Services Expenditures by Category
In 2012-13, over 80% of student services expenditures were for non-administrative activities in counseling, cultural and social activities, and student health services.
Services to students with disabilities include readers
for the blind, interpreters for the deaf, note-takers, mobility assistance, adaptive educational equipment, disability-related counseling, and other services. Student services programs, as with most University programs, suffer from underfunding. Student services were adversely affected by severe budget cuts during the early 1990s, when the University was forced to make reductions due to the State’s fiscal crisis. At that time, Student Services were State-funded and have since been shifted to non-State funds, primarily Tuition and the Student Services Fee. Those cuts have not been restored. In 2002-03,
Tuition and Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition 14% Other Restricted/ Extramural Funds 40% Campus-based Fees 24% Student Services Fees 22% Social and Cultural
Activities 35% Supplemental Educational
Services 3% Counseling and Career Guidance 12% Student Health Services 36% Student Admissions and Records 10% Financial Aid Administration 4%
Student Services
student services programs were again reduced by a mid-year cut of $6.3 million, which grew to $25.3 million in 2003-04 – equivalent to a 20% reduction in Student Services Fee-funded programs. These reductions occurred when student enrollment increased with corresponding growth in demand for student services, including during the summer.
Due to the University’s continuing budgetary challenges across the system, student services positions have been eliminated, frozen, and consolidated, even though the demand for student services continues to grow on each of the campuses. Thus, it is becoming increasingly difficult, as student needs change and more students enroll at UC, to provide adequate services for students in the face of reduced budgets. In addition, because the Student Services Fee has not increased since 2011-12, programs funded by the Fee have not received cost increase money to help address mandatory and other cost increases for two years.
STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
In recent years, student mental health issues have become a growing concern at UC as well as at other higher education institutions across the nation. Psychological counseling has become an area of major importance, given the increasing numbers of students arriving annually who are on medications or who manifest behavioral or other psychological issues. Often, these issues negatively impact their wellness and academic performance or that of other members of the UC community.
A comprehensive systemwide review of student mental health issues and the challenges associated with providing these necessary services were presented to the Regents in September 2006. The following was noted:
consistent with national trends, UC students are
presenting mental health issues (e.g., suicidal thoughts, depression, stress, and anxiety) with greater frequency and complexity (e.g., prescribed psychotropic
medications in combination with psychological counseling);
budget constraints limit campus capacity (e.g., increasing
psychological counseling staff) to respond to mental health issues and result in longer student wait times, difficulty retaining staff, and decreased services and programs; and
increasing demand and declining capacity pose a threat
to the learning environment because of the significant adverse impacts on faculty, staff, and fellow students when students are inadequately cared for through the existing mental health system.
Recommendations in the final report were organized within a three-tier model: Critical Mental Health Services, Targeted Interventions for Vulnerable Groups, and Creating Healthier Learning Environments. The model was created to provide a framework for meeting the fundamental mental health needs of students and for providing safe and healthy campus environments across the system. The
recommendations include:
Tier I, restoring critical mental health services to fully
respond to students who have demonstrated at-risk behavior;
Tier II, implementing and augmenting targeted
interventions through education, support, and prevention programs, and restoring staffing levels in those units best poised to assist high risk students of concern, as well as students from vulnerable populations; and
Tier III, taking a comprehensive approach to creating
healthier learning environments by enhancing the full spectrum of student life services and by revising
administrative policies and academic practices in order to promote communication and collaboration.
In response to the urgent priority to enhance mental health services, in 2007-08 and 2008-09 the University dedicated $12 million in funding from Student Services Fee increases for this purpose. Much of the funding from the increase in 2007-08 has supported critical mental health and crisis response services, such as increasing Counseling Center staffing to meet the high demand for counseling
intervention. Revenue from the second Student Services Fee increase has been used to develop programs that targeted vulnerable groups (e.g., foster youth, veterans); expand outreach; provide mental health internships for students, staff, and faculty; and develop interventions for students at high risk for alcohol and drug abuse.
Substantial progress was made in expanding mental health services. However, in 2009-10 a student mental health survey was administered to determine the impact of the Student Services Fee augmentations. Findings indicated that while the wait period to see a mental health
Student Services
to see increased severity of student issues and greater demand for mental health services.
In response, the campus Student Affairs divisions and the Office of the President Student Affairs unit collaborated on a successful bid for a $6.9 million student mental health grant funded by the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA) through Proposition 63. In 2011, each campus received $500,000, with the remaining money set aside for systemwide initiatives such as training and forums, programming, the development and maintenance of a systemwide mental health website, and grant management. Funds are being used to enhance existing mental health services and create new prevention and early intervention programming. Programmatic efforts include:
Training for students, faculty/staff, and graduate
teaching/research assistants on how to recognize and respond to students in distress;
Development of a comprehensive, systemwide approach
to suicide prevention;
Creation of a social marketing campaign to reduce
stigma and discrimination for those living with a mental illness; and
Development of an online resource clearinghouse to
facilitate collaboration with other mental health stakeholders across California.
To date, enhancements directly related to this grant funding include:
Increases in staffing levels – all campuses have hired at
least one additional psychologist;
Enhanced training materials, including the development
and strengthening of crisis response protocols for all faculty and staff;
The launch of an anonymous online interactive suicide
prevention screening tool; and
Production of systemwide public service announcements
and training videos to support the social media campaign.
In 2012, UC applied for additional CalMHSA funding, and in January 2013 was awarded $877,224. Of this total, $127,224 was retained by the Office of the President for system-level programming consistent with campus mental health staff priorities, and the remaining $750,000 was distributed to the campuses. This funding provided UC an opportunity to further expand its response to Tiers II and III of the student mental health recommendations.
Student mental health issues remain a serious concern at the University. Further investment is needed in student mental health and wellness to ensure sustainability of current programs and services beyond the life of the grant, which comes to an end July 2014.
OTHER FUTURE NEEDS
Should the State’s fiscal situation permit new initiatives, campuses have identified a number of critical needs for additional student services funding that would help to ensure higher retention and graduation rates.
Campuses need increased funding for academic support
programs, including tutoring in writing, mathematics, and study skills, as well as preparation for graduate and professional school exams.
The strain on student services budgets has been
exacerbated over time by the increasing demand for services to students with disabilities, many of which are very expensive and cause limited student services funds to be spread even more thinly. There has been an increase in demand for interpreting and/or real-time captioning services (costs have increased for
interpreters), as well as services for those suffering from repetitive stress injuries who require multiple forms of auxiliary services and assistive technology.
Additionally, larger numbers of veterans are enrolling at
UC and many of these students have a combination of physical and emotional disabilities (e.g., Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury) that require greater levels of service.
Instructional funding is needed to restore and enhance
library hours, primarily for undergraduate students.
Campuses have not had the resources to invest
sufficiently in major student information systems (e.g., student information services; web-based services; and registration, admissions, student billing, financial aid, and accounting services) to meet the current and future needs of students and student service organizations.
Additional funding toward the support of graduate and
professional school students is desired, particularly related to Teacher Assistantships (TAs) and fellowships. Increased funding would not only provide much-needed support for graduate students, but would also provide undergraduates with more assistance (from TAs) in their educational pursuits.