SGA welcomes new senator - The Rider Newspaper

International student seeks to share her experiences through leadership

Esther Kipkoech, a nursing postbaccalaureate student, speaks during the Sept. 20 Student Government Association meeting. Kipkoech was sworn in as a senator for the School of Nursing during the meeting in the Music, Science and Learning Center on the Brownsville campus. Silvana Villarreal/THE RIDER — Esther Kipkoech, a nursing postbaccalaureate student, speaks during the Sept. 20 Student Government Association meeting. Kipkoech was sworn in as a senator for the School of Nursing during the meeting in the Music, Science and Learning Center on the Brownsville campus. **Silvana Villarreal/THE RIDER**

The Student Government Association appointed Esther Kipkoech as the new senator for the School of Nursing Fall 2024.

Juana Jimenez, vice president for External Affairs, announced the oath of office to Kipkoech, a nursing postbaccalaureate student, during the SGA fifth senate meeting Sept. 20, fully recognizing her as the new SGA senator.

During Kipkoech’s speech, she said she studied at Eastern New Mexico University where she obtained her degree in forensic science, biology, DNA analysis and criminal justice.

“I am an international student from Kenya,” she said. “I moved to the United States about six years ago, and I came with a track and field scholarship to go to Eastern New Mexico University.”

Before coming to UTRGV, Kipkoech was part of her previous university’s SGA.

“I represented the College of Science, and I was the international affairs coordinator where I led the international club,” she said. “… And during my time, we were able to achieve a few things. I became the student leader of the year and also my club became the student organization of the year.”

Kipkoech said she wants to bring advocacy to international students and help open opportunities.

“I believe it’s also very important to collaborate with teachers, students and everyone … so that we can all meet the needs of the students,” she said. “… It’s important being in SGA to listen to the students and advocate for them and work well with them.”

During the meeting, SGA welcomed Director of Parking Services Pablo Aguilar to announce updates on parking and transportation.

Pablo Aguilar, director of Parking Services, says there was a 2% increase in parking demand from last year, even though there was record enrollment this semester. Aguilar addressed the Student Government Association during its meeting Sept. 20 in the Music, Science and Learning Center on the Brownsville campus. Silvana Villarreal/THE RIDER — Pablo Aguilar, director of Parking Services, says there was a 2% increase in parking demand from last year, even though there was record enrollment this semester. Aguilar addressed the Student Government Association during its meeting Sept. 20 in the Music, Science and Learning Center on the Brownsville campus. **Silvana Villarreal/THE RIDER**

“We manage parking lots that are distributed across all the campuses at UTRGV,” Aguilar said. “The way that we manage them is through a system of parking permits and enforcement.”

He said the Department of Parking is funded by permit sales and citation fees.

“We do not receive any funding from [the] state or tuition,” Aguilar said. “The revenue that is generated, it helps fund improvements like parking lots improvements, construction, safety security, lighting [and] security cameras.”

He said there was a 2% increase in additional parking demand for Fall 2024.

“The park and ride, like, for example, the one in Harlingen, I guess that really helped as far as providing additional parking spaces because we did see a big increase in transportation ridership,” Aguilar said.

The director said VOLT is a transportation service that has a 10 to 15 minute frequency.

“You park far away, you don’t go around in circles waiting … which is why we again, we value the service that VOLT provides,” he said.

Aguilar said there have been many challenges, especially with the heavy rain, this semester.

“What we’ve been trying to do is just stay very flexible, to try to provide solutions as they’re coming up and just trying to be proactive,” he said.

Aguilar said the university introduced a pilot program called Mobile Pay in Edinburg.

“It’s a contactless way of paying for daily parking,” he said. “… Students can take advantage of this. They don’t need to buy a parking permit, you can just scan the barcode that’s right there or the QR code, and it’s a very simple method.”