Budget meetings: Harbor Branch requests $25,000 from the university
Harbor Branch, which is suing FAU, plans to allocate the funding towards student resources and services.
Aerial view of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. Courtesy of Carin Smith.
November 8, 2021
The Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI), which is suing FAU, is requesting $25,031.80 to go towards supporting their growing student body of 135; an increase from last year’s enrollment of 90 students, despite the pandemic.
On Nov. 5, members of the University Budget Appropriation Committee (UBAC) were presented with information regarding an increase in funding for the HBOI of FAU.
Founded originally as a marine research organization, the Harbor Branch merged with FAU becoming a smaller campus and now focuses on environmental and ocean outreach.
Each organization has to request funds from the UBAC, which decides upon allocations for the university-wide budget after deliberating.
The HBOI campus coordinator, Alexis Sturm said, “Oftentimes students up here may not have access to the student services that they pay for just because they’re not available and logistically it’s challenging to get to other campuses.”
The funding would go towards social and career development events as well as expanding access to student services and resources.
Other allocations would go towards transportation between the university’s Jupiter campus and the Harbor Branch campus, the Anytime fitness gym membership program, and renovations towards the student center.
The HBOI is located in Fort Pierce, Fla., which is approximately an hour and a half away from the university’s Boca Raton campus.
Specifically, towards supporting the campus coordinator position, in which the individual hired will serve as a representative for the student body at the student government level.
The position will be for 10 hours per week at a rate of $11, for 30 weeks of the year which is a total of $3,300 from the $25,000 request.
The funds given by the UBAC in the previous year helped to purchase items for the Harbor Branch student center, including a TV, a projector for films, furniture, board games, and snacks.
Going forward funding would be utilized for signage for the center to make the atmosphere more community-oriented.
Kayla Ortiz is a Political Reporter for the University Press. For information regarding this story, email her at [email protected] or DM her @kayla.ortiz1 on Instagram.
