The Human Services Resource Center is a mostly funded through a small percentage of overall OSU student fees, but also relies on sustainable gifts through our OSU foundation account to fund certain components of our programs, namely the HSRC Food Pantry. Continue reading to learn more about the HSRC budget, programs, and folks involved in making decisions about how we spend our money.
Overview of HSRC Students & Programs
The Human Services Resource Center at Oregon State University is known around campus for our Textbook Lending Program, our @eatfreeOSU twitter campaign, and helping students who may be in housing crisis. Additionally, we provide food assistance through the HSRC Food Pantry, the Food Assistance Funds Program, SNAP enrollment assistance, and brand new cooking classes!
Our HSRC students may be one or more of the following:
– Pell-eligible
– First generation
– Former Foster Youth
– TRiO or EOP participants
– Undocumented, DACA or under-resourced international students
– Homeless, houseless, or otherwise experiencing housing insecurity
– Experiencing situational poverty
– Prior recipients of Free/Reduced Lunch Program or other social safety net programs
For more information about the HSRC history, mission, and vision, check out About HSRC on our website.
Student Fee Funded Unit
The HSRC is mostly funded through OSU student fees. Each term students enrolled at the Corvallis campus, pay a set amount of student fees – and the HSRC is funded by a small percentage of this overall total. E-campus, non-enrolled students, and Cascades campus students do not pay into the same student fees as Corvallis-campus students do. The student fees provided to the HSRC helps pay for building expenses, staffing needs, and program supplies. As a student-fee funded unit, the HSRC is required to annually submit a proposed budget to the Student Fee Committee and to request a fee level needed to support our program functions.
For more information about the recent Student Fee Committee budget process, check out HSRC in the Media on our blog: http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/hsrc/hsrc-media-coverage/
Budgeting Funds
The HSRC budget in 2018-19 fiscal year is expected to be $834,000. Of those funds, approximately $230,000 will be distributed back to OSU students as our Mealbux award within the Food Assistance Program.
Student Aid Programs
HSRC student aid includes:
– Food Assistance Funds Program
($231,000 annually before staffing costs)
– Textbook Lending Program
($20,000 annually before staffing costs)
– Emergency Housing
($10,000-$30,000 annually before staffing costs)
– Avery Facilities
(roughly $28,000 in occupancy fees, utilities and other related costs)
– HSRC Food Pantry
(currently $12,000 or so annually before staffing costs)
– Alternative Break Travel Grant & other student travel support
($5,000 annually before staffing costs)
Staffing
In order to run these various student aid programs, another large portion of budget goes towards staffing and professional development funds.
The HSRC staff includes the following positions:
3 Full Time Employees (FTE)
2 graduate assistants
10 undergraduate staff
For more information about the HSRC staff positions, check out Join Our Team on the HSRC website.
Program Supplies
The final portion of the student-fees funded budget goes towards program expenses like promotion, printing costs, room rentals, equipment and other basics of running the program.
Food Share Costs
While we have recently received an increase to our student-fee funded budget, these funds cannot be used for food share costs (just about 2% of overall HSRC budget) associated with food acquired through the Linn Benton Food Share to stock the HSRC Food Pantry. We depend on sustainable gifts received through the OSU Foundation to fund this vital resource for students and community. Currently, we are in need of sustainable gifts to our OSU Foundation account to help meet our funding goal and continue to maintain this important resource.
Budget Authority & HSRC Advisory Board
The Assistant Director of the HSRC is the budget authority for the HSRC, as delegated by the Office of the Provost. The budget authority reviews and makes purchasing decisions centered in HSRC values and OSU’s mission. All purchases are also made in alignment with spending expectations outlined on the AABC website.
Additionally, the HSRC has an advisory board, a requirement for all OSU student-fee funded units. This advisory board is comprised of OSU students, and both campus and community partners invested in the success of OSU students. Members of the HSRC advisory board help review and make recommendations related to the annual HSRC budget. The advisory board also serves as a sounding board for the HSRC Leadership Team and helps to review HSRC programs and services, providing recommendations to the HSRC that help support and enhance the success of OSU students.
Limitations & Future Implications
The challenge of being so substantially student-fee-funded means that in order for growth and expansion to occur students (including those we are trying to help) need to pay more. Increased costs, even without growth, like staff salary raises, utility cost increases and other variables are experienced by us and other student fee funded units – putting pressure on everyone in our division to work mindfully to keep growth conservative so fee increases can be minimal. We hope that in the future we’ll have support from foundations, state programs or donors who can help us meet student needs without needing to ask for more from students.
