The partnership between the Undergraduate Student Government and the Response of Suffolk County could be coming to an end if the USG doesn’t reverse last year’s decision to stop funding the agency.
After discussing the issue at Thursday’s meeting, the USG senate was not able to vote on whether to reinstate USG’s contract with the crisis intervention agency, and the contract was sent back to the budget committee.
The non-profit organization, which provides a 24-hour intervention hotline and online crisis counseling services, was scheduled to receive $12,250 this academic year – down from about $24,000 in previous years – but after a budget review in October, USG stopped funding.
Several USG senators said Stony Brook already provides the same services through the Center for Prevention and Outreach. Response Executive Director Meryl Cassidy said CPO is closed at night and on weekends, unlike Response.
Out of the 1,400 college students who called the agency in 2011, more than 700 were from SBU, and about 80 percent of callers expressed suicidal thoughts, she said.
Senators were concerned that not many students are aware of the agency.
USG’s funding accounts for about five percent of the agency’s budget, Cassidy said.