Following Valentine's Day, the Student Association will be looking for some extra love from UB officials as the two groups have planned a closed-door meeting for Wednesday to discuss a plan of action for a future health center on North Campus.
Administrators had hoped to bring a health center to Amherst this past semester, but it was again stalled due to problems with finances and location.
This semester, tensions are higher and the pressure is on to make the project a reality. With years of planning invested and students questioning the plausibility of those plans, the center has become a hot button issue.
"We've all been disappointed in the past," said Frank Carnevale, director of Health Services. "We've been working on this ever since I came here (to UB)."
When asked about this semester's timeline, Carnevale directed attention to Wednesday's meeting between SA and UB's Office of Student Affairs.
"After this meeting, a joint press release will be offered," he said.
Those attending the meeting will discuss future ideas, but all specific details, including location, are being guarded until the press release. Carnevale did express cautious optimism, saying he believes that plans are finally concrete.
SA President Dela Yador also hopes that something productive will come out of the meeting. He said SA initiated the idea of the talks due to increased student requests.
"The deal was that both undergraduate and graduate SA give up space for this in the Union," Yador said. "Then the Wellness Center moved into that space and we never got any space back."
Yador said the deal with administrators has yet to be honored. When the comprehensive fee increase that accompanies the project was proposed, it was specifically allocated to the health center. The money hasn't been put towards anything else, but Yador said he is not sure how long it will have to be held.
"We just want movement," Yador said. "If it's going to get done we want to know and if not, then we'll figure out our next move."
Yador said he hopes Wednesday's talks will lead to a choice for a potential health center location. He said that at this point, the center would not be established by the time he graduates, but he wants UB to "keep it going."
Students who believe in the project simply want to know that the university does have a competent plan to make a North Campus health center a reality.
Eric D'Mello, a freshman marketing major, admits that he isn't one for doctors and medication, but hopes to utilize university services like this one during his college career. In his second semester here, he may be one of the few currently at UB who will be able to.
Carleen McManus, a senior history major, remembers when she lived on campus and heard the news of health services coming to Amherst, where the majority of on-campus student housing is located.
"I thought it was really cool when I thought I'd be able to use it," she said. "If I still lived on campus I would use it."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
