Last year, FAU S.E. Wimberly Library paid to extend library operation hours for students during exam week.
But this year, because of budget cuts, they had to find someone else to pay for it.
The S.E. Wimberly Library approached Student Government in the beginning of this semester for $2,521 to extend library hours for exam week through their budget made up of A&S fees, which students pay in their tuition.
“Student Government paid for library late hours at final exam time for the fiscal years 2005-06 through (and including) 08-09,” Dean of University Libraries William Miller said.
Last year SG didn’t fund the extended hours, but this August, Miller approached Associate Dean of Students Terry Mena about having SG fund extended library operation hours during exam week this upcoming year.
“[Miller was] looking to see if Student Government would be open to the idea of funding the late night hours,” Mena said.
Mena brought the request to Boca House of Representatives Speaker Jaclyn Broudy. She drafted a bill to the House of Representatives that would transfer $2,521 to the S.E. Wimberly Library to keep it open until 2 a.m. from Nov. 26 to Dec. 4.
The House unanimously voted to fund the extended hours.
“The impression that I got,” Broudy said. “Is that had [SG] not funded [the library] it wouldn’t be funded at all. That’s why I immediately took action and felt the need to write something.”
But according to Miller, the library had the money, they just wanted SG to pay for it.
“We have the money to cover this. It is not a large amount of money, and this whole thing is not a big deal,” Miller said. “I simply thought that it would be nice if Student Government could fund these late hours, but if it does not, it makes little difference to anyone here.”
According to Miller, it was then Provost Benda Claiborne who requested the hours be paid for by the library.
“We did indeed plan on accepting the funding, which is why we asked for it, but [Claiborne] subsequently learned about the request and expressed a preference for us to fund the late hours in a different way,” Miller said.
The UP was directed to Claiborne’s assistant, James Capp for, a statement on her involvement with the funding of extended hours.
“The library will have extended exam week hours as usual with no impact on the level of services to students,” Capp said. “The only change will be a behind-the-scenes funding source shift.”
According to Miller, money will be taken from the budget for part-time employment.
“We will find the money within our existing budget for part-time employees to fund these extended hours said,” Miller said. “Employees do not know or care which budget their salaries come out of. No one will be harmed or affected by this in any way.”
The money in the SG budget will be replaced and used for other legislation or projects according to Terry Mena.
“Actually the money has not been transferred,” Mena said. “Because the notification that we received from [Miller] that he was seeking other additional funding sources to pay for extending.”
The library will now pay for the extended hours out of their own account. It will remain open until 2 a.m. from Nov. 26 to Dec. 4.
