UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, May 3, 1994
9B
Rape support service's budget questioned
By Lance Hamby Special to the Kansan
Rape victim support funding
Student Senate has allocated more money to Rape Victim Survivor Services-Advocacy Support Awareness Prevention than any other organization, but RVSS hasn't done much with it.
RVSS, which serves sexually abused women and victims of rape in Douglas County, has received an 1,800-percent increase over the past eight years—the largest Student Senate funding increase for any organization.
Source: Student Senate Records
But while other student groups lobby for money from an increasingly spread-out Senate budget, RVSS hasn't spent much of its money. In 1992, when Senate spending for RVSS jumped to $19,600 from $3,700 in 1991, the organization still had $34,025 in savings that it hadn't spent.
The unspent money — which tax records show totalled $45,035 in fiscal year 1992 — will be used on long-range goals, said Cathy Reinhardt, RVSS accountant. She also said the money, called cash on-hand, was needed in case unexpected shortfalls came up.
The unspent money has raised questions in the minds of some in Senate, the organization's largest contributor.
Dave Campbell / KANSAN
"We need to continue to receive the money that we are getting because we never know when it could suddenly stop, thus preventing a lot of women in this county from getting the kind of support that only RVSS currently provides." Reinhardt said.
RVSS, which is made up of volunteers and a paid executive director, is available 24 hours a day for any woman in need. RVSS provides assistance for sexually abused women in hospitals, courts and police stations. It also runs peer support groups for victims of sexual abuse.
Because RVSS guarantees secrecy, its office only can be reached by calling Headquarters at 841-2345.
Reinhardt said the organization was thinking about using the money for a medical care system to replace the current medical care given to victims of sexual abuse. She said that care provided by RVSS professionals instead of the usual doctors and nurses would better help victims and create a more comfortable environment.
In past years, RVSS suffered from both a lack of funds and an uncertain
future, Reinhardt said. She said that in the early 1970s RVSS had just started and that funds along with their hopes for expanding were almost nonexistent.
In fiscal year 1992 that all changed, Julie Adams, outgoing finance committee member, said that RVSS funding increases have coincided with the group receiving revenue code status. Revenue code groups list their projected expenses for the next two years. If Senate approves that list, funding for the organization for the next two years is automatically approved.
RVSS will go before the finance committee again in 1996. According to RVSS records, the organization is planning to ask for $28,000.
"Organizations like to be on revenue code because they don't have to justify their reasons for money as much as the groups that are not on revenue code do," Adams said.
Senate records show that the largest increase in the RVSS budget was in the salary of its only employee, Sara Jane Russell, executive director of RVSS. In fiscal year 1990, Russell's salary was $12,225. In 1992 her salary was almost $20,000. Reinhardt said that Russell's salary probably would be $27,000 for fiscal year 1994.
Russell was unavailable for comment.
Reinhardt said that by increasing Russell's salary over the last five years, RVSS has been able to solidify its top job post and secure the organization's commitment to the commu-
nity.
In addition to Senate money, RVSS receives money from the United Way, grants and personal donations. In fiscal year 1992, RVSS received almost $12,000 from the United Way, $7,500 in grant money and almost $2,000 in donations and interest.
Because RVSS filed a tax extension, tax records for fiscal year 1993 were unavailable.
Some students said they were concerned the money was not being spent to help victims.
Chad Browning, next year's treasurer of the finance committee, said that if he would have been aware of the budget situation earlier, RVSS might have had some of its funding reduced this year.
"I imagine that we need to look into why the money isn't being spent, but I don't think funding to the organization should be decreased," she said.
Ami Hizer, Liberal Arts and Science senator, said the group still should receive funding at the current levels.
Steve Campanini, outgoing finance committee member, said that this year a lot of organizations were not funded or had their funding significantly reduced because Senate was spread too thin.
"Why do they need more money from the University if they have such a large amount that is not spent at the end of the year, and especially since some organizations aren't receiving any funding at all?" he said.
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