CAMPUS: Student Fee Advisory Committee
By Dora Guerrero
and Tiffany Luna
Bridge Staff Writers
Published Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Currently underway, two Student Fee Advisory Committee meetings have been held at TAMIU with one more on the way at 5 p.m. April 9.
At Texas A&M International University, the SFAC oversees advising fees. This committee is required to meet at least once per semester, but members have been striving to meet as frequently as possible to review student concerns, as well as voice opinions and ideas that might benefit the student body. Under Texas Education Code Section 54.5031 student service fees must be administered.
Students, from left, Alfredo Duncan-Perez, Preston Salazar and Rodolfo Rendon listen to Assistant Vice President for Finance and Administration Fred Juarez, left, and Vice President for Student Engagement Rosalinda Garcia as they talk about proposed fees during a Student Fee Advisory Committee meeting on Feb. 20 at TAMIU.
“The meeting was simply to do the work we were given the task with,” Vice President for Student Engagement Rosalinda Garcia wrote in an email to The Bridge. “We wanted to give an update on the referendum held last semester and continue a conversation about how to use the funds that are currently available.”
“[The focus is] to ensure that the student service fee is being spent as the students would [like] it to be,” SFAC member Preston Salazar said. “It’s money the students are putting into the system and it’s being put into offices that actually need it. We’re here to ensure that that stays in those places.”
Salazar said this past year has been their best one in regards to accomplishing things. The committee was able to create a separate budget for the TAMIU Greek Council, which allowed the Greeks to create a fund that does not derive from either the Student Government Association or the Campus Activities Board.
These meetings are open to the public and committee members said they are eager to have students in attendance.
“This is your money,” Salazar said. “You spend it how you want to spend it, and if you see that it’s not being spent the way you want to, come here and voice your opinions.”
Committee member Rodolfo Rendon agreed with Salazar.
“I definitely hope to see more people as well,” Rendon said, “because it is our role to advocate for the students but, at the same time, what better way to advocate for the students than to have them right here in the room alongside us.”
SFAC is open to hearing interested student opinions. The consideration of the students attending TAMIU can bring new ways to manage current funds. During the meeting, Garcia asked students to share opinions on certain areas that need financial attention, and how it can be sufficient for TAMIU students.
The committee considers students who might be parents and how their needs can be accommodated. It also considers adding additional grants to students who may need assistance in paying for classes or textbooks.
