The UTRGV Tuition and Fee Steering Committee will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Student Services Building 4.106 on the Edinburg campus to discuss and vote on requests for new potential fees, which include transportation and athletics.
The Rider asked UTRGV Planning and Analysis Associate Vice President Juan Gonzalez, who serves in the committe, for details on what it will vote on Tuesday, but was told the committee is not prepared to release any specific information.
“The current plan is to have open forums on the Brownsville campus on [Nov. 14] during activity period and on the Edinburg campus on [Nov. 16], also during activity period,” Gonzalez said. “That’s where the recommendations will be presented.”
Gonzalez referred The Rider to Rick Anderson, UTRGV Finance and Administration executive vice president, for information on the potential athletics and transportation fees.
The newspaper tried to contact Anderson for comment on the topic but he has not returned calls or emails.
Athletics Director Chris King will present an athletics fee proposal before the committee on Tuesday as well, said Alondra Galvan, president of the Student Government Association and member of the committee.
The Rider tried to reach King for comment, but he was unavailable.
Galvan said Campus Auxiliary Services Assistant Vice President Letty Benavides presented a request for a new transportation fee a couple of weeks ago. The newspaper tried to contact Benavides this morning, but she was unavailable.
The Rider requested from Gonzalez a copy of Benavides’ presentation and those of any other person who has come before the committee with a proposal during previous Tuition and Fee Steering Committee meetings, but has not received the documents.
Currently, funding for Athletics and transportation comes from the UTRGV student services fee.
As previously reported by The Rider, for Fiscal Year 2018, Athletics received $7.7 million, which is 63 percent of the total allocation of student services fees, while shuttle services was awarded $604,341, or 4.89 percent.
Forums will be conducted at 12:15 p.m. Nov. 14 in El Gran Salón on the Brownsville campus and Nov. 16 in the Student Union Theater on the Edinburg campus.
Fee proposals must be submitted to the University of Texas System by Dec. 4.
In February 2018, UTRGV officials will present proposals to the UT System board of regents.
Later that month, the regents will vote on proposed tuition and fees rates for its institutions for Academic Years 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, according to the UT System website.
