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Student Fee Advisory Committee

Meeting Minutes December 11, 2024

(View PDF version of Meeting Minutes)

Attendees: Rosalinda Garcia, Fred Juarez, Dr. Hazelton, Ana Vargas, Jesus Galaviz, Mario Lopez, Adriana Anderson

Other Attendees: Elisa Saldivar, Marylyn Guerrero, Natalie Walle, Alejandra Flores, Angelica Gavilanes, Alana Benavides, Denisse Botello, Priscilla Cadena

Welcome

Approval of Minutes

Approval of November 11, 2024 Minutes

Mario motions to approve, Conrads seconds motion, all in favor everyone said “I”.

Discussion on Funds Currently Available in SFAC Account

Overview of Financials and Expenses: 

BIG Event Funding:

Discussion Items
  • Discussion about allocating part of the $12K for the BIG Event and possible use for emergency funds (due to current SCCE budget shortage).
  • Conrad coordinated with the LOVE committee to estimate costs for the BIG Event. Elisa Saldivar is presenting on behalf of the committee.

MADD Event Expenses:

Discussion Items
Total expenditure: $12,766.
LOVE Budget contributions:
  • $3,937 for supplies, snacks, and giveaways for leaders.
  • Unexpected expenses: bus transportation, paint for houses, and food veggie options for volunteers.
  • Collaborations with Keep Laredo Beautiful: T-shirts for volunteers.

Other Expenses:

Discussion Items
  • Other LOVE SGA-related expenses (excluding MADD): Approx. $1,600.
  • Fundraising: $1,365 raised; plans for future fundraising for Spring semester.

Remaining Budget for Spring 2025:

Discussion Items
  • Starting with $6,000; after semester expenses, $447 remains.
  • Transfer adjustments expected to bring the budget for Spring 2025 to approximately $1,312 after reimbursements.

Projected Expenses for Spring 2025:

Discussion Items
Upcoming events and collaborations:
  • Painting and sketching murals (collab with Keep Laredo Beautiful).
  • Coffee and snacks for finals week.
  • Tremendo Taco collaboration.
  • Valentine's Day grams.
  • Chipotle Collaboration.

Projected Needs:

Discussion Items
  • Additional T-shirts: Anticipating 750 volunteers for MADD, thus requiring 100 extra T-shirts for the BIG Event.
  • Bus Transportation: Need 8 buses instead of 5, based on increased volunteer turnout.
  • Food: Expected 12% increase in food costs for the upcoming semester.
  • Projected total: $13,275 for the BIG event. Not expecting full amount from SFAC and will fundraise.

Bus Expense Discussion:

Discussion Items
  • Rosalinda inquired who was responsible for bus payment. Housing was supposed to contribute $500, but the payment has not been received yet.

 

Committee Discussion and Funding Allocation

Discussion Items
Rosalinda’s Concerns:
  • Clarified that SGA is not expected to cover the entire $13K for the BIG Event. The president's office also contributes, with previous years seeing a total of about $5,000 for both events.
  • Dean Ramirez and Ms. R discussed the need to manage funds for the growing volunteer numbers and possible future cuts.
Budget Management:
  • Discussion about possible cuts for next year’s event (e.g., reducing bus usage, cutting down on giveaways for leaders).
  • Rosalinda suggested reviewing budget allocations every semester, particularly for partnerships that may change.
Emergency Funds:
  • Rosalinda emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance between funding for large events and emergency grants for students in need.
  • Emergency funds are capped at $1,000 per student and are allocated by the SCCE committee.

 

Emergency Funding and Allocations:

Discussion Items
Proposal for Emergency Funds:
  • Discussion on whether to allocate $10,000 for emergency funds for students.
  • Natalie highlighted the importance of emergency funds due to increasing calls for assistance at SCCE.
  • Vote for Emergency Funds: All committee members voted "Yes" to allocate $10,000 for emergency funds.
Final Vote on LOVE Funding:
  • The proposal to allocate $5,000 for the BIG Event was approved. The committee also approved the possibility of additional funding if needed.
  • Rosalinda noted the importance of transparency in managing these funds and stressed that excess funds would be returned if not used.

 

Action Items:

Discussion Items
  • Conrad to provide more detailed proposals on funding allocation for future events.
  • Rosalinda to follow up with Mayra about emergency funding processes for the next meeting.
  • Committee to track the remaining budget carefully for upcoming semester expenses.
Next Meeting:
  • Invite Melissa and Mayra to discuss the processes for emergency funding.

 Meeting Adjourned: 3:03 p.m.