Paying for proof

UTRGV official transcripts will soon come with a $5 processing fee and can be accessed electronically and University Registrar Sofia Montes is looking for ways to spread the word.

During the Student Government Association meeting last Friday, Montes asked the senate for ways to tell the student body about the fee so that it would not be a “big surprise.”

The fee was approved over a year ago and since then, the Office of the Registrar studied ways to improve the process for requesting transcripts.

There is no set date for assessing the fee, but Montes said it will perhaps go into effect in a month. She assured the SGA that they plan to give students time to prepare for the fee.

“It cost a whole lot to process transcripts, and partly because transcripts are available at no cost,” Montes said. “What we find is that every year, we throw away thousands of transcripts for students who order them and never pick them up.”

Griselda Castilla, associate vice president for Strategic Enrollment, said that U Central can get a lot of traffic during which students go to pick up transcripts and other forms.

“This is a great opportunity to ensure that we meet the needs of our students much faster,” Castilla said.

She said the fee will allow the office to implement faster and more efficient services for the students.

Josue Puente, a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in Mexican American Studies, brought up an issue with the UTRGV Police Department.

He said the police blocked him from leaving a parking lot on the Brownsville campus last week. He did not wish to speak more on the issue and asked SGA if they could bring the department in for discussion.

Puente said he believes it is a profiling issue and that they were stopping him and a fellow student, based on his appearance. He didn’t feel comfortable with going into details because he hopes the Police Department can give its input beforehand.

“It is not the first time, due to the fact of how we dress and how we talk,” Puente said. “UTRGV P.D. feels entitled to stop us and ask us for our student ID.”

Senate Chair Alexandra Smith said the SGA would look into the possibility of having the Police Department attend a meeting. The issue was sent to the Campus Life and Community Affairs Committee.

A student-generated resolution was sent to the SGA concerning the increase in the parking permit fee and fewer parking spaces. It calls for immediate action in reducing the fee to $80 from the current $100, and an increase in the number of parking spaces.

Some information on the resolution was incorrect and the author of the resolution, Carlo Flores, mentioned that in the discussion.

The resolution was sent for revisions to the Campus Life and Community Affairs Committee and it will be reviewed at the next SGA meeting, scheduled from 12:15-1:30 p.m. Tuesday University Center 205 on the Edinburg campus and Student Union 1.28 on the Brownsville campus..

SGA President Denisce Palacios said she noticed the mistakes and added that the resolution “didn’t seem like it pertained to what we do,” referring to the SGA’s role in serving students.

“A lot of the information was incorrect,” Palacios said. “And, we had heard the information from the individuals that we invited here and I hope the committee does a good job and does a fact check on everything that was there.”

The State of the Student Body Address will be from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in Salón Cassia on the Brownsville campus and Thursday in the PlainsCapital Bank Theater on the Edinburg campus.

Smith announced that Lunch with the Deans will be from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Sept. 25 in El Gran Salón on the Brownsville campus and Sept. 27 in the Ballroom on the Edinburg campus. Students can interact with the deans of their colleges and the SGA will provide free food.