MSA Student Enhancement Fee
This was the largest student body participation in voting in the history of MSA with 9,420 votes.  We won the vote with a large majority, 79%, of the vote.

Ann accredited this to library staff creating a service focused, caring and user-first environment with our students.  She commended us for maintaining this positive relationship with our students.

One attribute for the large voter turnout is that MSA changed from holding their elections in the fall to the spring.

This ballot item came about due to initiating a student survey to see what students would pay and what services/improvements they would like to see.

Grace Atkins: User Engagement Librarian and ULSAC Coordinator & Shane Stinson: Guest Relations Coordinator in Student Auxiliary Services
Shane served as the supervisor for the Student Communications Coordinators who worked on the Student Services Enhancement Fee campaign.  Grace worked with Shane to train the students and provide them with up-to-date information about the University Libraries

University Libraries Student Advisory Council: ULSAC, was created after the failed campaign to acquire library funds in the form of student fees in 2015.  ULSAC advises the University Libraries on important matters of concern to the students of the University of Missouri.

The big focus was to be transparent and honest.  Fourteen students shaped the social media campaign to communicate what was at stake with this vote.  These students contacted other student organization leaders to communicate about the vote to their members.  

Grace met with LMT, ULSAC, student affairs and student leaders to flush out what our needs are and what amount the libraries should get from the fee.  Missouri Students Association: MSA, Graduate Professional Council: GPC and ULSAC were all at the discussion table together.

Thank you to Matt Gaunt for his support and input for this ballot item.

The fee will still need to go to the Student Fee Review Committee.  This is student money and will have to go to student needs.  

Proposed Use of Student Services Enhancement Fees – March 2017
This handout shows the student’s desires as to how we use this money and how we have broken it down to address their specific needs. 

The big desire for students is to gain 24 hour access to the libraries.  ULSAC has received positive feedback when we are open 24 hours and negative feedback when we return to more standard hours of operation. 

Q&A:

Q: Will these expected funds be spent this year and then next year would we get another large amount for the same resource?

A: The $660,000.00 that we will get from this fee will be divided and dispersed in two chunks for the fall and spring semester.  We think we can start to use half of the funds in August 2017.  Yes, we will probably spend a lot of money at the beginning on facilities and then once we have a higher standard for facilities overall, we may re-work that money into another project for a year. We hope to work up a three year plan in the near future.  Students will continue to give input on their needs and we will continue to adjust the spending accordingly. 

Q: Do we think monies from other sources may decrease if they know we have money from this student fee?

A:  No, Grace said the students would be really mad if this happened.  She is confident we can keep student engagement and awareness of how deep our general library needs are so that we can maintain funding for the needs students have in spaces like the libraries. 

The Student Fee Capital Improvement Committee has been successful resource for us in the past because we have been able to have active librarians and intellectual proposals for funds the libraries received.  We don’t expect this to change now that we have the Student Services Enhancement Fee.

We do want to make sure we don’t have competing proposals or that the proposals start going through the wrong channels an bypass, say CSC etc.

Q:  Will we be able to offer increased staff for services that we have not been able to in the past? 

A:  We want to be careful that we don’t have a great amount of salaries on this soft money.  However, FY 18 there are some staffing ideas on the table.

We will reserve the General Revenue funds for things that need to be funded permanently like salaries etc.

Q:  Can you explain the Student Fee Review Committee: SFRC in more depth?

A:  The Student Fee Review Committee is an accountability measure. When money comes into cashier’s office, this committee will check in with departments receiving money to make sure it went to the initiatives for which students have voted.

Q:  Can we use this money to upgrade old furniture in our offices? 

A:  This money will probably not be able to be used for staff furniture.  However, funding new furniture for students could have a cascade affect that would be indirectly beneficial for staff.  We usually squeak a little money out of our General Revenue Fund when, for example, a facility need for students arises.  Now that there is a specific amount of money for these student facility needs, we can see the General Revenue Fund being able to be used to its full potential for other library and staff needs.

Q:  Can we use this as leverage for more money from donors or the University? 

A:  Yes, donors are more willing to give when they know they are giving to something that students are also supporting financially and taking such a strong stance toward preserving. 

Q:  Do students support the depository?

A:  Yes, students acknowledge need for the depository as a way to enhance their space in the campus libraries.

Q:  How do the specialty libraries benefit? 

A:  We have representatives for the specialty libraries.  Specifically, we have international student representation from the Engineering department with interest in maintaining benefits for the Engineering library.  Also, all ULSAC meetings are open meetings and we want them to be representative of interested student body members. 

Q: How does this affect other long term planning for the libraries?

A:  We are still working on other projects for the libraries.  We are working to get an expansion of Ellis with Gary Ward and the campus facilities plans.

We will continue to pursue plans and funding for the Digital Media Commons.

We also have the State Historical Society space that can be folded into a longer plan, which will expand to the South and up two floors.  Want to keep a long-range mentality so that anything we do in the short term won’t interfere with our long range plans. 

Q:  If we have a large project do we need to spend it all in one year or can we carry it over?

A:  Campus usually lets us carry money over.

Q:  Is it subject to campus “give-back”?

A:  No, it is designated for specific purposes; it is student money.

Q: If we get the funds in the fall will we start 24-5 hours in the fall?

A:  Yes, we plan to start 24-5 hours in the fall.

Q:  Will bookmark extend hours as well?

A:  Typically they extend when we extend, but we will need to have that conversation in the future. They need to make sure they make a profit with whatever hours they are open. 

Proposed use of Student Services Enhancement Fees