Recent budget challenges have led to the reorganization of Campus Unions in the Student Affairs Department in order to generate revenues.
Due to the estimated $2.3 million in budget cuts in Student Affairs, the Memorial Union Auxiliary Enterprises will be cut. The departments such as the Center for Student Involvement (CSI), Campus Unions, UC Davis Bookstore, Retail Dining and Catering Services, the UC Davis Conference Center and Trademark Licensing will be aligned with other divisions. These changes will be effective in January 2012.
“Campus Unions is going to be absorbed. Campus Recreation will be taking over the unions, staff, reservations, etc,” said Adam Thongsavat, ASUCD president. “In the past the Campus Recreation department used to oversee the Memorial Union because of the budget. It will become one department again.”
John Campbell, Director of Campus Recreation, will oversee Campus Recreation and the facilities that were managed previously under the Memorial Union Auxiliary Enterprises. These facilities include the Memorial Union, Freeborn Hall, Putah Creek Lodge and the UC Davis Conference Center, said Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Fred Wood in an e-mail to faculty and staff.
Retail Dining and Catering services will now be overseen by Student Housing as of 2012. All food services besides the ASUCD Coffee House will be under Student Housing, said Brett Burns, former executive director of Memorial Unions Auxiliary Services.
CSI and its services, such as Picnic Day, The Buzz, and the 500 + student clubs will move under the control of Griselda Castro, assistant vice chancellor for Student Affairs, Burns said.
ASUCD is autonomous of the cuts, Thongsavat said.
“ASUCD is not really restructuring, only our business manager has changed, which is our big change,” said Bree Rombi, ASUCD vice president. “In either January or February there is going to be a campus wide search for a permanent business manager.”
Brett Burns has replaced Geoff Straw as the interim business manager since June 2011, Thongsavat said.
“I will be working closer with ASUCD and their overall financial health,” Burns said. “I have served an advisory role for them previously.”
ASUCD was not part in the decision making for student affairs restructuring made by Fred Wood, Thongsavat said.
Tuition fees will not increase due to the shifts in Campus Unions, Rombi said.
“I do not think there will be a loss of student jobs due to this shift. They will be adding student jobs over the next six months with the opening of the new Student Community Center,” Burns said.
The new Student Community Center, located across from the Chemistry Building, should be open to students by January 2012.
“Hopefully this shift will happen behind the scenes and that students will still get the same, or even better, service,” Burns said.
ALICIA KINDRED can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
