SFC-elect prepares for office

Can the child care services on campus merge together under one budget and one way of thinking? Is rock climbing a possibility on the Portland State Campus? Are student wages too low? These are the questions that Chris Moller, the new Student Fee Committee (SFC) chair, is planning to tackle during his term in office.

Moller’s term in office does not officially start until July 1, but that has not stopped him from getting things in order now. The SFC runs on the fiscal year to maintain a sense of continuity throughout the school year. The fiscal year is from July 1 until June 30. Moller has been busy getting the timeline ready for next year.

One of the projects Moller has been working on is to merge the budgets of the four child care services on campus. The hope is that these groups will also join together ideologically and administratively.

“We want to focus on child care, not to duplicate services provided,” Moller said.

Moller has changed the budget request deadline. The old timeline for student groups to turn in their budget requests was during finals week fall term. Many people complained about this time because student life is so hectic around finals week. The new deadline gives student groups an extra week to turn in the necessary paperwork for funding.

There has also been some rearranging of the liaison assignments for the SFC members. Moller assured that there would be no major changes in where people are assigned.

Another project that Moller is really excited about is the possibility of a rock climbing wall being installed at the Peter W. Stott Center.

“Hopefully sometime next year there will be climbing opportunities at Portland State,” Moller said.

The proposal is to install one or two rock walls inside the racquetball courts in the Peter W. Stott Center. Usership surveys are being issued to find out who uses the racquetball courts and to what capacity.

Moller is conducting the preliminary procedures of finding out the costs and what it takes to put together such a project.

In addition to all the other things Moller will be busy with this next year, he would also like to take a look at the student wages on campus. He said he would like to find out what kind of work is being done for what kind of money. Moller said that student wages are too low for the work being done.

Moller said he is hopeful about the new vice provost of student affairs who will come to Portland State University, citing that investigation of student wages is a big endeavor to undertake alone.