Student services around Iowa State say they have not had budget cuts this past year, but are stretching budgets they feel should be expanded.

“We’ve had an increase in use of our services, and no money available to respond to that increase,” said Sharon McGuire, director of the Academic Success Center and assistant dean of students.

McGuire said more students were using the Academic Success Center for tutoring and screening, among other things.

Help rooms have been eliminated from different academic departments because of budget cuts, and those students are now turning to the Academic Success Center for help, she said.

Another problem involves overcrowding in Supplemental Instruction, McGuire said.

“We don’t have money to add sections, even though those sections are crowded,” she said.

Expansion is also a problem for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Student Services, said Jeremy Hayes, coordinator for the program.

“There’s a lot of things we would like to do to expand our services and try to develop some new programs,” he said.

Hayes said he believes the LGBTSS office has not been cut because their budget is already tight. “There’s not a lot to cut,” he said.

Michelle Clark, associate director of student counseling services, said her office has lost one staff member and left an additional position unfilled during the past year, and it has been difficult with the increasing number of students needing help.

Students are now receiving fewer sessions and sometimes are referred out into the community for help, Clark said.

Referring students out to the community also poses problems because mental health services around Ames are feeling the budget crunch. For example, McFarland Clinic has stopped offering psychiatric services, Clark said.

Both Clark and Hayes said they are having problems with understaffing.

“Losing those positions meant we had to set clearer limits in terms of how long we could see students for [as well as other things],” Clark said.

Hayes said his office is facing big staffing issues, which is something he wants to change.

“There are times during the week where there is no one in the office,” he said.

Hayes said there is usually a staff member from another student services office around, but no one from LGBT Student Services.

McGuire has also lost an associate dean position in the dean of students office, and that person’s workload has been distributed among other staff members. Situations like these are adding to the workload of staff.

Hayes said creativity has been the answer to budget limitations within the LGBT Student Services office.

“A lot of it is evaluating programs and trying to determine if they’re being effective and find ways for them to be more effective [if necessary],” he said.