Franco introduces Children’s House plans to ASUSU
Kids will have a new place to play during the day if Juan Franco has his way.
Plans for a new campus childcare facility were presented to the Associated Students of Utah State University Executive Council Tuesday.
Franco, vice president of Student Services, showed ASUSU officers the possible locations for a new facility and explained the need for it.
“We’re seeing a pattern where more and more people are wanting to use it,” Franco said. “We’ve outgrown [the current facility.]”
During the Fall 2003 Semester, Franco said, 39 people were on the waiting list for childcare at the Children’s House. Of the 39, 23 were students.
“One of the questions that comes up often is how much do the students use it,” Franco said.
According to statistics Franco presented, 112 students have used the Children’s House this semester, which is 62 percent of the facility’s use. The average number of hours that students’ children spend at the Children’s House per hour, per year, is 257 for each child.
The focus now for building a new center is to raise money, Franco said. He said donors are being sought to build the new facility.
“When we do get the money, the question will be, where do we put it?” Franco said.
Some areas discussed for the facility have been west of Romney Stadium, in the Mobile Home Park once some trailers are removed or north of Utah Public Radio in the parking lot where construction equipment presently sits, Franco said. Innovation Campus is another location that has been considered.
“I come to you not with any specifics, I’m simply updating you and telling you some areas that have been discussed,” he said.
The current childcare facility north of the Spectrum has the capacity for 24 full-time children; a new facility would be capable of caring for 76 full-time kids, said Assistant Vice President for Student Life Gary Chambers.
Since most children wouldn’t be at the facility for the entire day, many more kids can be served throughout the week, as they are only there for a few hours at a time, Franco said.
Children’s House Director Linda Ebersole Gilgen said a new facility would allow for expanded childcare.
“Currently, we only serve children from age 3 to 5 in the fall,” Gilgen said. “During the spring semester we go through age 8.”
With a new facility, more services for infant and toddler care could be addressed, Gilgen said.
Franco said there is not a definite time frame for construction of a new facility. It depends on when the money can be raised.
Amending a bill
A bill passed earlier this year by ASUSU giving $1,000 to the Eastern European Student Union was brought back to the council for an amendment from Diversity Vice President Angie Hammond, the sponsor of the bill.
Hammond said that because of new information she had learned, she was changing the amount of money given to the EESU to $500. The council passed the amendment to the bill unanimously, only Engineering Senator Adam Jones abstained.
Bookstore news
Student Advocate Vice President Les Essig said efforts to have the bookstore use an Electronic Article System to monitor books inside the store had been successful.
He said hopefully by next fall, the bookstore will be using the anti-theft device in books and other merchandise, which would allow students to take their backpacks into the store instead of leaving them on racks in the TSC hallway.
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