Another motion to increase Health Services’ funding narrowly failed in Monday’s Student Senate meeting.

Senator Aaron Olson proposed an amendment to the budget that would have allotted an additional $20,000 to Health Services.

The amendment came to a 13-13 tie among the senators. Student Senate President Adrian Klenz, voting for the first time in the chair position, broke the tie with a vote against the amendment.

Klenz’s said his reasons for the denial were twofold. First, the new funding had no clear goal in place for its use, and second, the organization’s continually rising deficit.

“It almost passed, so that tells you something,” Olson said, referring to the close vote.

Health Services director Laura Chellman, who attended Monday’s Senate meeting, said the denial of the $20,000 will hurt the organization.

“Certainly it will offset any of the nuances that can happen to any given budget year that most departments deal with and particularly in health care that you can run into,” she said.

Her attention then turned to national figures.

Health care costs in the last few years have risen 15 to 18 percent a year, although historically the figures average about 10 percent.

To compare those numbers, she said, the allocation increase for Health Services’ 2002-03 budget was .9 percent and 2003-04 budget was under 2 percent.

Senate Finance Commission director Chad Wade said Health Services originally requested $990,000. Health Services eventually appealed their allocation to $930,000 when the Finance Commission granted $915,000.

Wade voted against the amendment, citing Health Services’ arguments that $930,000 would cover the organization’s operations and additional funding would be used to pay down their deficit.

Chellman said Health Services’ deficit is now about $60,000. She said her organization is looking for a broad base of student input to aim all of the organization’s decisions now and in the future.

Olson seemed convinced to help Health Services.

Two semesters ago, he came down with a case of mono.

He paid a total of $16 – half for the initial visit to Health Services and half for prescription costs.

Olson then urged all the senators who voted against the amendment to think of his $16 the next time they head into the Health Services building.