Correction: Justin Wideman is secretary of the Student Government Association, and James Riebeling is a senator.
By JENNIFER LUNA AND FAITH DUARTE
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
During the student activity fee committee meeting, Tuesday afternoon in the president’s conference room, Emma Mendiola, dean of student affairs, and new chair of the committee was introduced.
Dr. Robert Zeigler, president of this college, and Robert Vela, vice president of student affairs and interim vice president of academic affairs, attended the meeting.
Faculty members present were Charles Falcon theater and speech communication instructor; Deidra Dobson, instructor of American Sign Language; and English Professor Laurie Lopez Coleman. Students present were anthropology sophomore Mike Martinez, vice president of the Student Government Association; speech sophomore James Riebeling, SGA commissioner; and psychology sophomore Jacob Wong, SGA president.
Two meetings were canceled this semester. Vela said the first meeting, tentatively scheduled for 4 p.m. Sept. 4, was rescheduled because of a lack of a quorum. A second meeting was scheduled at 4 p.m. Sept. 6 but also was canceled because he wanted at least 75 percent of the committee to attend.
Vela said the meetings were to announce the new chair, determine which members will stay on the committee and figure out the gaps in representation of the vast majority of students. Vela said after Pizza with the President Sept. 13, “The toughest thing is getting the full quorum.”
After discussing the selection of new members, Zeigler said the purpose was to make a change in leadership, appoint a new chair and approve proposals that would enable the students to have more “bang for the buck.”
The committee is made up of five students and four faculty or staff members and determines the expenditure of student activity funds, which are collected from students at $1 per semester hour. Wong said he was unsure which student members would return.
Members present at the last meeting May 3 were psychology sophomore Rebecca Ross and speech communications sophomore Leonard Herbeck. Two student alternates were present, Wong and Riebeling.
Other student members in May were Martinez, speech communication sophomore Jonathan Schell; and nursing sophomore Daniel Having. SGA appoints members. Faculty and staff members then were Flynn-Dobson, Falcon, Coleman and Counselor Casey Lechuga. None were present at the last meeting in May, which was canceled because of a lack of a quorum.
Zeigler appointed Coleman and Lechuga in the spring after student development Professor Dehlia Wallis and philosophy Professor John Visintainer resigned.
Student life Director Jorge Posadas announced his resignation during an advisers’ brunch Aug. 23. Posadas had served as nonvoting chair of the committee since it formed in fall 2006.
Zeigler said he would like the new chair to have a “big picture” approach and be focused on as many students as possible instead of a few organizations.
Vela said the committee’s processes would become more transparent for organizations to understand how to request funds.
