Last Friday, the Student Government Association appointed Jose Rojas to a paid position and discussed the possibility of giving scholarships and stipends to SGA members.
Rojas was appointed to the paid position of first year internship (FYI) director by SGA members. He is a senator for the College of Sciences in Brownsville and said he used to be a first-year intern during his first year at UTRGV and learned a lot about SGA through that position.
The FYI director is in charge of holding bi-weekly trainings and team building activities among first-year interns. The trainings vary from teaching interns to conduct research and develop legislation, shape policy and organize important campus outreach and community service activities.
“I wanted to do something that would benefit the organization and also [the] university,” Rojas said during the meeting. “Because there’s a lot of individuals that want to seek right for their college and for their campus and, hopefully, [SGA] would be OK with me being in this position.”
Vice President for the Edinburg campus Alexandra Smith-Macias said during the Zoom meeting, the only successful FYI director that was able to stay for the full year was during UTRGV’s first year.
“I think the past [two terms] there has been no FYI directors, so that usually leaves the work to the vice presidents to do,” Smith-Macias said. “It’s extremely hard when we have a million other things to do … which is why we decided to move it to a paid position and then appoint somebody.”
The senate also discussed the possibility of providing scholarships and stipends to SGA members, excluding interns.
“So [the Student Fee Advisory Committee] approved the request,” Smith-Macias said. “The SGA had to increase the budget. And, part of the increase in the budget was to not necessarily pay or to have full-time positions, but to kind of give, like, a scholarship or stipend.”
Smith-Macias and Roy Cantu, vice president for the Brownsville campus, serve as student representatives in the SFAC.
“It’s going to be a little bit more flexible because we do realize that we are knowing people’s status or what they’re going through,” Smith-Macia said. “We don’t want to harm financial gain in any way. So all positions now, from president to associate justice, are going to get some form of compensation.”
SGA President Ingrid De La Torre told The Rider that scholarships have been awarded to SGA members in the past.
“In the past, it was only the president and vice presidents that would get a scholarship, if they chose to,” De La Torre said.
Smith-Macias said the SFAC vote on the SGA budget is a recommendation to President Guy Bailey, who will approve or reject it.
