Student Fee Board passes proposal for CAPS fund increase

Students at Utah State University are looking at a potential student fee increase to help cover university counseling and psychological services.

The Utah State University Student Fee Board met and approved the fee increase of $10.46 on Jan. 23. Now the hike needs to be approved by USU President Noelle Cockett, the Board of Trustees and the Board of Regents. 

The increased fee is intended to address the CAPS budget deficit as well as fund new counselors.

Half of the salary for one of the new counselors will be provided by the Caine College of the Arts. The executive vice president of the university student association, Allie Smith, said this money will come from discretionary funding controlled by the dean as well as the college’s vacant position funding.

Luann Helms, a CAPS psychologist, said the staff members at CAPS are extremely excited that the fee increase was passed through the student fee board.

“We started this semester with a waitlist,” Helms said.“All our therapists are currently booked full, and we have students coming in every week trying to see about getting services. We are oversaturated and overwhelmed, so hopefully next fall we will have more staff to serve more students.”

Smith said the board passed the fee in a 22-1 vote. The proposal will now be passed on to Cockett for her approval.