TAMIU SIFE Wins Second Place in National Exposition

Texas A&M International University’s (TAMIU) Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) has won second place at a recent SIFE National Exposition held in Minneapolis, Minn., where more than 160 teams nationwide gathered to compete.

SIFE TAMIU showcased seven projects that the student organization focused on during the 2009-10 academic year and received second place for its “I-Transgreen” project in the “Sam’s Environmental Challenge” special topic competition, sponsored by Sam’s Club – Laredo. The team first won at the South Texas Region level, earning a prize of $1,000 and moving to the second round as a Top Five Finalist to compete for the national award. The group won a trophy and a $4,000 cash prize.

In the project, SIFE TAMIU helped El Mesón de San Agustín Restaurant and Alicia Ruíz Elementary School to become more environmentally friendly and adopt cost-saving measures. As a result, El Mesón was able to derive a cost savings of more than $500 a month. Families participating in the Alicia Ruíz Elementary School project saved $25 per month in their homes’ electricity bills.

“We are very excited about this competition,” said Miguel Chávez, TAMIU SIFE treasurer, “It’s definitely something that we are proud of and it will help us motivate our new members next year.”

The student organization was also named one of the top 20 finalists in the “Business Ethics Competition,” for its project titled, “Understanding Disability Success,” sponsored by Sealed Air Corp., for presentations the organization made to various local businesses on the contributions that people with disabilities can make to the workforce.

Chávez said that SIFE will utilize its competition award to fund community-oriented, volunteer projects this year.

The SIFE TAMIU team is comprised of a diverse group of students from all disciplines who take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it to real-life situations. Its goal is to use students’ knowledge to better the community through free enterprise educational outreach projects.

For more information, please contact Dr. Andres Rivas, assistant professor of business and SIFE faculty sponsor, at 326.2484, e-mail arivas@tamiu.edu or visit offices located in Western Hemispheric Trade Center 203C.

Founded in 1975 and active on more than 1,400 college and university campuses in more than 40 countries, SIFE is a non-profit organization that works in partnership with businesses and higher education to provide college students the opportunity to make a difference and to develop leadership, teamwork and communication skills through learning, practicing and teaching the principles of free enterprise.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu