Due to COVID-19 measures the university is taking, the Student Fee Advisory Committee will continue its meetings remotely via Zoom.
The Student Fee Advisory Committee, or SFAC, exists to “advise the university president on the allocation of the student services fee,” according to its website.
As reported by The Rider on Feb. 10, the total amount requested for Fiscal Year 2021 is $14,796,393.64 and consists of the Fiscal Year 2021 requests totaling $14,287,017.02, FY2021 one-time requests totaling $158,065 and FY2020 one-time requests totaling $351,311.62.
Emilia Treviño, chair of the committee, said they have not really been affected by the pandemic precautions UTRGV is taking.
“Other than us canceling last week’s meeting and doing them on Zoom, I think for us, and editing, of course, those one-time requests, everything else is still, you know, we have not really been affected,” Treviño said. “Especially because at this point of the committee we’re only deliberating. It’s not as difficult for us to just go to Zoom.”
Marcy De Leon, a university representative in the committee, said the precautions being taken by the university against the virus will not hinder the SFAC process.
“We have all the information that we need … and, so, I feel like we will be on time,” De Leon said. “I don’t think that it’ll push us back.”
Roy Cantu, a student representative in the committee, said he does not think the precautions will affect the process.
However, Cantu said that due to the March 20 meeting that did not take place, because of an extended Spring Break, they might have to meet again next week or work harder during Friday’s meeting.
“I don’t think it should be affected,” he said. “I think if everybody does their part we should be good.”
Treviño said that one-time requests for Fiscal Year 2020 have been submitted to Rick Anderson, executive vice president for Finance and Administration at UTRGV, and President Guy Bailey.
She said she worked with requesters and edited some of the one-time requests due to trips being canceled amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
“I’ve had to edit those reports that I’ve submitted just to reflect those changes,” Treviño said. “So, a lot of the requests were either pulled or a portion of the request was edited because they’re no longer going to be partaking in those activities.”
The meetings will be closed because the committee will be deliberating.
The committee’s meeting for Friday is meant to finalize and submit the SFAC report.
Asked if the deadline will be met, Treviño replied that they will try their best to have that be the last meeting, but if not, another meeting will take place April 3.
“These were internal deadlines we had set, but I don’t want to rush any of our decisions either,” she said. “So, if it happens that our last meeting is this Friday, great. If it does not, I will have an additional meeting on April 3.”
De Leon said they are committed to the committee and its work.
“We’re going to do whatever we can … just to continue to review the requests and make a recommendation,” she said.
