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Students press for more mental-health services, housing improvements and clarity on dual-credit funding
Summary
Student leaders told the committee that affordability, outdated residence halls and limited counseling capacity are top concerns. Legislators asked NDUS to report how previous mental-health and dual-credit funds were spent and requested better tracking of online and out-of-state credits.
Sammy Weber, president of the North Dakota Student Association, told the Appropriations Committee that affordability, mental-health services and student housing are the issues students raise most often.
"A significant factor most individuals consider when deciding to pursue higher education is how much it is going to cost and if they can afford it," Weber said, noting that low tuition and scholarships attract out-of-state and international students to North Dakota campuses.
Weber told legislators many residence halls were built in the 1960s and 1970s and remain in need of renovation; she also said mental-health resources are uneven across campuses, with some institutions offering only part-time counseling for more than 1,000 students. Several senators urged campuses to report how previously appropriated mental-health dollars were used.
Senator Shortock said the last session included about $2.78 million in appropriations for mental-health programming; he requested that campuses detail expenditures and any remaining unmet needs. Committee members also asked NDUS to provide reports on how the prior dual-credit funding was deployed.
Senator Sorvaugh and others asked NDUS whether the system can track where online credits originate and how many online credits come from out of state. Lisa Johnson, NDUS vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, said NDUS is improving data capacity and that internal dashboards developed since interim committee meetings now include breakout of online credits by other states; she said the office will provide that information in follow-up sessions.
No new appropriations were approved during the overview. Legislators directed NDUS to return with campus-level accounting of prior mental-health allocations, a clearer roll-forward on dual-credit funds and a report showing the geographic origin of online credits.
