By Monte Ashqar
The Kinesiology Club’s request for $3,477 to attend a seminar was declined by the Student Activity Fee Committee.
Student life Director Jorge Posadas, who is the chairman of the committee that oversees funding for all student trips and activities, sent an e-mail Oct. 9 to Kinesiology Club adviser Brad Dudney saying that the funding was declined because the club’s participation in student life events and activities was poor.
The club showed inactivity throughout the previous academic year and the club did not register with student life by the committee’s Oct. 4 deadline.
The Texas Association of Health, Physical Education and Dance’s seminar educates students and faculty on the newest trends in health and education, Dudney said, adding the application was filed Sept. 20.
“Last year, the committee paid for the seminar,” Dudney said. “Last year, we sent nine people, including the club officers.”
The Student Activity Fee has been in effect for an academic year and before that, the department used to help fund the seminar through fundraising, Dudney said.
“Now with the new Banner system, things are going to get more complicated for us to request funds,” Dudney said. “We won’t see any money before 30 days when we file the application electronically because of all the forms we have to fill out.”
Bill Richardson, interim dean of arts and sciences and former kinesiology chair, said in a phone interview Monday that in previous years, the department used to get the funding from the proceeds of renting the basketball courts and the pool.
Dudney said he and club President Veronica Perez filed an appeal Oct. 1 and were supposed to get a response from the committee the following day.
“I, Chairman Bleamaster and two members of the club met before a board of five students, five faculty members and student life Director Jorge Posadas to present our case,” Perez said.
“On poor participation, Posadas said the club did not participate in events organized by student life,” Perez added. “Our students might be working at the time of those events, so they can’t go.”
Posadas said the club could participate by showing up for events sponsored by student life, like movie night for example, and when club members show up, there would be a sign-up sheet from student life that would keep track of all club members showing up, Posadas said.
On registering with student life, Perez said she was not given any guidance on how to register the club online.
“We need guidance and if we don’t get it, then how are we supposed to be effective?” Perez said.
In a phone interview Monday, Posadas said he asked all student club advisers to come and meet with him over a brunch before the beginning of the semester to answer any questions and address any concerns they might have.
“Those who took the initiative are getting their funding,” Posadas added.
Thursday, Perez called The Ranger saying she got a response from student life declining the appeal.
The response, which was sent in an e-mail, said the appeal was denied because the seminar was only going to benefit Kinesiology Club members, and that no dissemination plan was proposed for club members to share knowledge obtained from the conference to this college’s student body.
Posadas was not available for comment Wednesday and Thursday.