SUUSA Passes Bill to Give Disability Center $5,000

The Southern Utah University Student Association added $3,000 to a funding request from the Disability Resource Center at their weekly meeting on Tuesday, bringing the total amount of the fund to $5,000.

Disabilities Rep. Elizabeth Barton introduced a bill asking SUUSA for $2,000 to help students with disabilities pay for psychological testing and educational assessments. Without these tests, disability students are “unable to receive accommodations to thrive in their environment,” Barton said.

Veteran Rep. Tony Ochsner felt that $2,000 seemed a small amount for the DRC’s plans. “It would be appropriate to raise it to $3,000,” he said.

The average price for an assessment is $500, according to the DRC Director Carmen Alldredge.

“To be able to give [students with disabilities] all the information and for them to say they don’t have enough money….my heart hurts,” Alldredge said. 

Students unable to pay the full amount will pay half the test fee while the other half will be paid by the DRC using the SUUSA funding.

Vice President of Finance Alyssa Sutton assured the senate that SUUSA still has 91% of their budget remaining, leaving nearly $49,000 available for funding.

Kamryn Burnside-Evans, the sciences senator, motioned to amend the dollar amount of the funding request to $5,000. The senate unanimously voted to pass the bill.

Application packets to run for a SUUSA position are now available in the Student Involvement & Leadership office or in the Michael O. Leavitt Center. Future candidates must get a signature from the senator currently in the position they wish to run for.

SUUSA senate meetings take place every Tuesday from 1-1:50 p.m. in the Sharwan Smith Student Center Living Room.

 

Story by: Tori Jensen 
reporter@suunews.net