By Brianna Rodrigue
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Three organizations received funding at the semester’s first Student Activity Fee Committee meeting Sept. 1 in the president’s conference room in Fletcher Administration Center.
The two faculty members and five student members awarded $9,521 of the $43,000 the committee can spend this academic year. The $43,000 is a portion of the proceeds from the student activity fee for which students pay $1 per semester hour.
The American Institute of Architecture student club was awarded $6,000 to attend the AIAS Forum hosted by Wentworth Institute of Technology and Massachusetts College of Art and Design Dec. 28-Jan. 2 in Boston.
The Beta Nu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa received $2,800 to attend the Phi Theta Kappa Regional Conference at East Texas Baptist University Oct. 7-9 in Marshall.
The visual arts program’s Film and Lecture Committee was awarded $721 to host a lecture by artist and UTSA Professor Ricky Armendariz 10:50 a.m.-12:05 p.m. Oct. 27 in Room 120 of the visual arts center.
Mark Bigelow, interim director of student life, chaired the meeting.
Only two of the four faculty representatives attended — English Professor Laurie Coleman and American Sign Language Instructor Brian Barwise.
The five student representatives are all members of the Student Government Association — psychology sophomore Harley Williams, president; pre-pharmacy sophomore Quintin Longoria, vice president; psychology sophomore Brett Douglas, historian; financial services sophomore Christopher Scoggins, treasurer; and computer science sophomore Sergio Calderon, member.
The AIAS Forum will have keynote speakers, workshops and seminars for the students, said architecture sophomore Ian Amen, vice president of AIAS.
AIAS will take six students and one adviser to the forum.
“We hope to be funded because we have always been funded, and also we always help the community back such as with fixing houses and hosting Canstruction,” said architecture program Coordinator Dwayne Bohuslav, adviser for AIAS.
The committee voted unanimously to approve the funding.
Phi Theta Kappa adviser Roger Stanley asked for $3,562 to take 10 students and the adviser to the regional conference, the third year PTK will attend a regional conference.
After some negotiation, members also voted unanimously to award the society $2,800, and members will fund $762 for food and gas.
Visual arts Professor Debra Schafter asked for $721: $400 for Armendariz’s one-hour lecture and $321 for a reception. Members questioned the fee for a local speaker, but Schafter explained he is an internationally known artist.
“I understand he is a local artist and professor, but will he be able to come if there was a discounted rate?” Coleman said.
Scoggins asked if visual arts thought about fundraising. “I have always been funded by the student activity fee all years I have been here, and I do not think that the academic department will fund us,” Schafter said.
Williams supported the funding because it will help students learn from a well-known local artist.
Five people approved funding the total amount, but three opposed.
Clubs and organizations interested in being funded by the student activity fee can apply at SAC student activity fee in orgsync, which is available in the student tab of ACES.
The next meeting will be 3-5 p.m. Oct. 6 in the president’s conference room on the third floor of Fletcher. The meetings are open to the public.