Making change through the facilities enhancements fund

Max Alder

How many times have you walked campus and noticed an uneven curb, sat on uncomfortable and out-of-date furniture or noticed a room in need of an upgrade and assumed there was nothing you could do to change it? I’m here to tell you that you can and, more importantly, you should. What is this magical vehicle of change, you might ask? None other than the Facilities Enhancement Fund.

Through a campus improvement fund, the Utah State University Facilities Enhancement Committee is given $200,000 every single year to fund projects requested of them. The process is quite simple. A request is filled out and submitted, and then in early February, the committee gets together, reviews all the requests they received and then votes on which project to approve.

Plus, you haven’t even heard the best part. Students are not only able to submit requests but are highly encouraged to do so. In fact, the exact wording on the website is as follows: “The purpose of the Utah State University Student Facility Enhancement Fund is to provide students with direct input into decision regarding the disposition of funds for enhancing facilities and for reviewing the facilities needs overall at this institution.” Just in the last few years, facilities enhancement has helped fund things like water bottle filling stations in the Fine Arts Center, feminine hygiene dispensers throughout campus, lounge furnishings in the HPER  and countless classroom furniture upgrades. These are all things students use every day, and their existence wouldn’t have been possible without those who took it upon themselves to do the research and fill out a request.

As the chair of the committee, it has been my goal for this year to be the most successful year of its existence, as I am aiming to receive a record number of requests. For that, I call upon you. I call upon the student body of Utah State. If you are thinking about filling out a request but you’re afraid of it being denied, don’t be. First, there is no harm in trying, and second, with the committee, it isn’t all black and white. A request can be approved in full, partially approved or moved over to a different department if deemed necessary. In fact, there have been projects that have started out as small requests that turn into six-figure, university-wide upgrades. They just needed the students to bring it to their attention.

So, for those on the fence, there is no request too large, too small, too simple or too crazy. When in doubt, fill one out. The committee can only do so much on its own. We rely on you to start the process and make a difference. For those of you who do fill one out, thank you. Your courage can contribute to this campus for years to come. However, please don’t overlook the request form. The committee will only approve the best request forms, so if you take the chance and fill one out, don’t go halfway. All the information you need to make a great request is right there in the form, so don’t sweat it — just take it seriously.

I believe in all of you to make our campus — your campus — better. You all can help make Utah State better, and I encourage you to do so.

For more information and to fill out a request form, visit usu.edu/involvement/funding/facilities-enhancement. If you have any questions, please visit my office, TSC 325A, or email me. Go Aggies!

— executivevp.ususa@usu.edu