Undergraduate students are now responsible for paying an additional $13.74 per quarter in Associated Students and campus-based fees after passing all existing reaffirmations and five new initiatives in this week’s student elections.

Of the nine initiatives on the ballot, the $1.25 per student per quarter Educational Opportunity Program initiative, the 89-cent Student Medical Emergency Relief Fund initiative and the $5.85 Counseling & Career Services (C&CS) support fee passed. In addition, students approved the University Children’s Center support fee and the Women’s Center support fee. Yet, students did not pass the A.S. Student Lobby or the A.S. Environmental Affairs Board initiatives. The A.S. Community Affairs Board initiative and the Recreation Fields Enhancement Initiative were also denied by voters. All A.S. fee reaffirmations — including the MultiCultural Center and the Student Health Center lock-ins — were approved.

For A.S. initiatives to pass, two-thirds of voters need to approve the measure. For campuswide initiatives to pass, 50 percent of voters plus one need to approve.

Women’s Center director Deidra Acker said the additional $1.25 from each student per quarter will be used to rehire support staff that were released in previous years because of budget cuts. The Women’s Center previously received $1.75 per student per quarter.

“I’m thrilled it passed,” Acker said. “Barring any further cuts from the state of California, the services we provide to students won’t have to be cut. In fact, we’ll be able to provide more services.”

Leslie Voss, an employee of the University Children’s Center, said the fee increase of $3 per student per quarter will help pay for operating costs. It will also allow the center to hire more UCSB students as teaching assistants. She said the money will also go toward maintaining a discount rate for parents who are also UCSB students. The children’s center previously received $3 per student per quarter.

“First, I am so extremely grateful to the UCSB student population for their support of the children’s center,” Voss said. “I know fees and tuition are high, but once again students supported the center. I think most students don’t have direct contact with the center and don’t get to know about the impact of [their financial support].”

Micael Kemp, C&CS associate director, said she was extremely grateful that students voted to approve the initiative.

“We really appreciate student support,” Kemp said. “We needed something like 53 percent of students to vote yes] and 73 percent voted [yes]. We feel this is a show of support for us and it’s a real vote of confidence from students.”

With $5.85 per student per quarter, Kemp said she would be looking to rehire staff positions that were lost over the years because of budget cuts. Such positions include a part-time counselor for graduate students and a job developer. Job developers attend career conferences and encourage companies to come to campus and offer internships and jobs to students, Kemp said. UCSB has not had a job developer in 10 years and is the only UC without one, she said.

Lance Tackett, Student Lobby chair, said that because students did not approve the 69-cent lock-in fee for the organization, members of the lobby would have to spend more time looking for alternative means of funding and less time lobbying for students’ rights.

“I thought that [the election] was really close,” Tackett said. “To me that shows the vast majority of students recognize the hard work we do… I was, of course, disappointed.”

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