Photo by Zak Wood

From left, sophomore Jason Palo La Costa, junior Rik Carlsen and junior Harrison Alexander II relax in the GLBT Resource Center on Wednesday.

The University of Colorado’s student government on Thursday will consider whether to inject $50,000 worth of student fees into the Boulder campus’ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center each year.

Putting the 13-year-old organization under the umbrella of the CU Student Union’s $30 million annual budget would mean both financial and policy support from student leaders, supporters said — and it would relieve a heavy fundraising burden.

“We feel that this addition would provide a much-needed increase in student services for our university,” said Dustin Farivar, a UCSU tri-executive who co-wrote the bill under consideration. “This will allow them to spend less time fundraising and more time focusing on serving students.”

Since it opened in 1995, the GLBT Resource Center — located in Willard Hall — has been committed to promoting equal opportunities for academic, social and personal growth for GLBT students and their allies.

But since the organization relies on fundraising from outside sources to meet its $105,000 annual budget, that service has yet to reach its full potential, the bill’s supporters said.

“GLBT is supposed to be here to give resources, support and create a community for queer students on campus, but because of their inability to fund, more of their time is spent stressed-out overwhelmed,” said senior Lacee Jauregui, chairwoman of CU’s Gay-Straight Alliance. “Instead, the director spends a lot of time lobbying for funds and doesn’t have enough time in the day to play the role she’s so good at.”

Steph Wilenchek, director of the GLBT Resource Center, said that by aligning with UCSU, the organization’s budget will increase to between $150,000 and $160,000 a year. In addition to fundraising, the center receives funds from the offices of the CU provost and vice chancellor for student affairs.

But, proponents said, the benefits of becoming a UCSU cost center don’t stop there.

“It will create a full-time assistant director position and a student advisory board that links to student government,” Wilenchek said. “This will increase student awareness and involvement by providing students more opportunities for leadership positions within the center and more student guidance and oversight for the center.”

With a properly funded and staffed operation, the organization’s leaders said they hope to see an improvement in the quality and frequency of the services, training and outreach programs offered to both GLBT and straight students.

“We do have a lot of straight allies that use that space,” Jauregui said. “It’s one of the safest and most affirming paces on campus. I know several straight students who spend most of their free time there because they feel completely accepted for who they are.”