Student Fee Advisory Committee

(View PDF version of Meeting Minutes)

Attendees: Rosalinda Garcia, Fred Juarez, Dr. Cindy Salazar-Collier, Christa Elizondo, Adalberto “Beto” Gonzalez, Jesus “Conrad” Galaviz, Adriana Anderson, Andye Rodriguez, Santiago Garcia Rosales

Other Attendees: Denisse Botello, Roberto Garza III, Patricia Ruiz

Welcome

Ms. Garcia welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked the attendees for agreeing to serve on this committee adding today’s session would spend a good amount of time reviewing the purpose of this committee.

Introductions

Noting several guests and new committee members, Ms. Garcia asked everyone to please introduce themselves and identify their role.

Today's Agenda

Ms. Garcia advised this meeting will include an overview of the committee’s job, a presentation on how the fees collected are used, and to discuss a time-sensitive item. Ms. Garcia stated we would also start discussing how monies currently available could be used.

Committee Overview/Membership/Charge

Overview: Ms. Garcia presented an overview of the legal requirements in effect which mandate SFAC meetings to be held stating each of the A&M schools need to form a committee which advises the administration and the board of regents on the type of fees collected by monies received for student enrollment at the university.

Membership: Ms. Garcia advised the SFAC Committee has 9 members, comprised of 5 students appointed by the Student Government Association (SGA) and 4 TAMIU employees appointed by the TAMIU president. The students’ membership includes 3 students who serve for a 2-year period and 2 students who serve for 1 year. Currently, the 3 students serving the committee for 2 years are Conrad who will finish his term in 2026, Adriana who will also complete her term in 2026, and Beto who will finish his term in 2027. Andye and Santiago are both serving a 1-year term and will finish their term in 2026 respectively. Ms. Garcia stated committee members appointed by Mr. Juan Castillo, interim president, included: Dr. Cindy Salazar Collier, Ms. Christa Elizondo, Mr. Juarez, and Ms. Rosalinda Garcia. Ms. Garcia added Mr. Castillo created the committee’s charge which was forwarded to everyone prior to today’s meeting.

Mr. Galaviz raised a question about the student terms. He and Ms. Garcia will discuss outside of this meeting.

The Committee’s Charge: Ms. Garcia stated the responsibility of the SFAC committee includes the following: 1) Study the fees collected including the amount, type, and expenditures of said fees; 2) write a report on the fees reviewed; 3) outline recommendations including recommendations; 4) report this information to the student body by reporting back to the SGA; and 5) prepare/present these recommendations to the president before the end of the academic year. Ms. Garcia explained the SFAC committee must conduct its meeting at least twice a year at a minimum and may schedule additional meetings as needed and added all relevant information is posted on the SFAC website.

Fees – Background/Information

Background: Ms. Garcia highlighted the significant expenses of the university and how the fees collected support the funding needed to pay for these expenses to maintain the university’s service standards. Ms. Garcia outlined 6 funding resources which comprise the “pool” of money the university has to operate. They include: tuition, fees, grants, state and federal monies, donations, and revenue strings such as REC center membership fees.

Fee Information: Ms. Garcia stated the focus of the SFAC committee is to review these fees and provided the following examples:

Ms. Garcia stated the committee’s next meeting will present information on the fees anticipated to be received for the next fall semester 2026 and department directors will also attend this session to inform the committee of specific information related to his/her department with an opportunity to ask questions.

Time-Sensitive Item

Ms. Garcia presented a time-sensitive item regarding the REC Center fee. The REC Center is one of the most popular places on campus with over 120, 000 visits last year (this doesn’t include visits to the Dusty Den/Game Room). REC funding comes from: the university, student tuition, grants, fees and membership. The REC Center has been requesting additional funding to support the department’s standard services. Ms. Garcia explained while the addition of the tennis courts complex was expected to bring in the supplementary revenue – this has not been realized to the extent of the funding amounts needed. Ms. Garcia referenced the significant increase in costs for all necessary items including environmental services, environmental services maintenance, equipment maintenance, and equipment replacement. The REC Center has exercised due diligence in seeking/obtaining additional funding through grants and other fund-raising activities but this has not been enough. The department is having to review current operations, including operation hours and programming activities, to maintain the center’s service standards. Ms. Garcia illustrated the impact of current limitations, explaining that students interested in playing esports on campus are sometimes asked not to come to campus to play because there are not enough stations to accommodate them.

The REC Center’s current fee has been the same since 2014 and yet as per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, cleaning services have increased 20% overall, for example. A review of rec fees charged by all TAMU system universities showed that TAMIU is 1 of 2 universities charging less than $100 in REC Center fees. However, as TAMIU is identified as an affordable university, we do not want to exceed $100 and we are asking the committee to consider raising our current fee from $82 to $99 per semester.

Ms. Garcia stated SFAC’s job is to determine if this increase in REC Center fees should be presented to students to vote on approval for this increase. Ms. Garcia highlighted the additional monies received would help cover the expenses that have grown significantly over the past 11 years. It could also provide for an expansion of current services such as weight-loss program initiatives, e-sports, and extending the REC Center classroom/lab areas to provide a communal area for those students arriving by bus or other transportation who need to wait for their class. Ms. Garcia emphasized the committee does not decide to increase the REC Center fee – it does, however, determine if the item should be presented for students to vote on it.

After a thorough discussion, the committee voted to advance the proposal to a student referendum. Ms. Garcia recused herself from the vote, Mr. Galaviz voted against the motion, and all remaining members voted in favor of proceeding with the referendum.

A student member asked if raising the fee by $17 would cover everything the Rec needs to cover. Mr. Juarez stated that a $17 increase would yield approximately $255,476.

Action Items

The committee requested additional information on how specifically the monies received from this fee increase would be used to address the center’s expenses and future projects. The committee scheduled a follow-up meeting on Tuesday, September 23^rd at 10:00am. At that meeting, Mr. Juarez will present this additional information and the committee will vote on the specific amount to include on the referendum ballot.

Ms. Garcia advised that the university must notify the Board of Regents by next week if we are indeed, introducing a referendum as they ultimately are the ones that must approve any fee increases.

The committee will also begin a discussion on how the $12,000 in available funds will be used at next Wednesday’s meeting.

Meeting Adjourned: 4:14 p.m.