The UTRGV Men’s Soccer Team warms up during practice last Friday at the Soccer and Track & Field Complex in Edinburg. Students are paying $15 per credit hour for an Intercollegiate Athletics Fee to support Athletics. Previously, the fee was part of the Student Services Fee. FATIMA GAMEZ LOPEZ/ THE RIDER
Starting this fall, the Student Services Fee will be separated into two fees, one for student services and the other for intercollegiate athletics.
Historically, the Student Services Fee was set at $20.83 per credit hour. Now, under the two separate fees, the Student Services Fee is $5.83 per credit hour and the Intercollegiate Athletics Fee is $15 per credit hour. The restructuring of the fee is revenue neutral, meaning there is no increase in the overall charge to students.
In an email sent June 24 to students, the Dean of Students wrote, “The restructure will allow UTRGV to provide increased transparency with regard to the fees, funding that is focused on student programs and activities, [and] an opportunity for future growth of athletics.”
Rebecca Gadson, associate vice president for Student Life and dean of students, told The Rider that the fee separation makes it transparent to students how their student services fee money is being utilized to support different student life initiatives.
“So, this opportunity of kind of separating, it makes it really clear that that portion is being used to support intercollegiate athletics, and then, there’s another portion of that funding that’s being used to support other types of student services,” Gadson said.
She said some of the things funded by the Student Services Fee are the Distinguished Speaker Series, the spirit program and a variety of music and theater groups.
Chasse Conque, vice president and director of Athletics, told the Rider he believes the separation of the fee allows Athletics to grow proportionally with the university.
“As students continue to choose UTRGV, we see our enrollment grow,” Conque said. “Athletics now has an opportunity to grow proportionally with the student body and, for us, that’s exciting because we’re at an institution that is experiencing unprecedented growth.”
He said the university has 275 student athletes across 16 Division 1 sports and that the money spent in Athletics directly impacts students and student athletes.
“So, all of the resources that we’re fortunate to receive from the athletics fee directly goes back to our student experience, but then there’s a ripple effect beyond that,” Conque said. “It’s creating top-notch-Division 1-fun game-day atmosphere and being inclusive of our student body and making sure that we truly are a point of pride for all of our students.”
Another reason for the separation of the fee is to allow the possibility for the Student Services Fee to increase.
“There’s a maximum amount for students to pay towards student services fees, and this separation allows opportunity, should the student body in the future want to expand student services and the kinds of opportunities that could be provided at the institution,” Gadson said.
She said the procedure to get the fee increased in the future would be determined if the student body desired an increase. Then, the student body would vote on the increase.
Jose Pablo Rojas, president of the Student Government Association, told The Rider he believes it is beneficial to students because now they can see where the money in the Student Services Fee and the Intercollegiate Athletics Fee will be going.
“I just think there’s increased transparency because, like I said, in the past, it was pretty much grouped and we didn’t know where exactly it was going to,” Rojas said.
He said he hopes students are more active in student life and take advantage of the resources that they are paying for and have available to them.
