After serving campus since 1969, the University Crisis Center is closing its doors at the end of spring term, despite students voting in favor of keeping the Crisis Center’s open in the ASUO primary election last Thursday.
Vice President of Student Affairs Robin Holmes made the final decision to close the center. Holmes, Crisis Center co-director Mary Marsiglio and Crisis Center staff member Kenda Stoltz confirmed the closure.
However, both Marsiglio and Crisis Center co-director Jenna Wheeler declined to comment further on its closing.
“My supervisor has asked me to remain neutral on the subject,” Wheeler said. “But the staff is encouraged to take a stand.”
Wheeler’s supervisor also declined to comment.
The Crisis Center is a confidential, University-funded hot line that advises student, parent, faculty and staff callers in health crises.
The Crisis Center’s $50,000 budget is split between the ASUO and the University Health Center. The Programs Finance Committee approved the center’s $25,000; however, the health center ended seven months of debate with its decision last night to stop funding the center.
Counseling and Testing Center Director Shelly Kerr could not be reached for comment.
“We’re still being closed down because we were told that even having student support doesn’t resolve the issues that they see,” Stoltz said.
Problems arose as Student Affairs and the Counseling and Testing Center staff discovered that contracted graduate teaching fellows such as Wheeler and Marsiglio were working more hours than they were originally contracted for.
“(The decision to close) was made after we were spending time trying to figure out the services we needed for students on campus and the resources it needs,” Holmes said.
Next year, the University will contract with professional counseling services, Holmes said.
Wheeler and Marsiglio met with administrators throughout this academic year as pressure mounted for the Crisis Center to decrease its office hours for contracted graduate teaching fellows. Including doctoral students Wheeler and Marsiglio, there are 10 GTFs on the Crisis Center staff.
Stoltz said that staff members searched for alternatives to closing the Crisis Center from lack of funding. They came up with ideas from fundraising and donations to working as volunteers instead of paid employees.
“From what I understand, we were told that (the health center) doesn’t understand why they should match our ASUO funds because they feel like we don’t do anything for them,” Stoltz said. “Obviously, because of confidentiality issues I can’t disclose how many calls we’ve gotten about physical ailments and questions along with mental health calls.”
This University’s is only one of two such university-run crisis centers in the nation. It trains and employs 15 University students and hosts crisis intervention conferences, workshops and classes. The Crisis Center operates from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. Monday through Friday, and takes calls at all hours during the weekends until the end of spring term.
“I think we’re unique because we’re confidential and we know the context of the problem which helps us intervene in a crisis,” Marsiglio said.
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