President says SGA is not a watchdog.
By T.L. Hupfer
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Many students have had problems with the Alamo cash card this fall, psychology sophomore April Weaver said Monday at the Student Government Association meeting.
Weaver said she knows students who never received a refund before classes started, and one woman who received hers two weeks ago.
“I don’t have my books on time because I’m waiting on the cash card,” she said.
James “Tank” Lowe, music business sophomore, explained a problem he encountered. “Their help line is misleading and doesn’t answer questions, and then tells people to hang up,” he said.
Alamo Colleges began using the card in summer 2012.
Since then, student refunds have been distributed through the card or direct deposit.
SGA President Andrew Hubbard, business administration freshman, said he will ask college administrators before taking the concerns to district officials.
CJ Riley, international business management sophomore, said that a month after requesting his transcript be sent to the University of Texas at San Antonio, the university has not received it.
He requested it be sent the week of Aug. 26, but after returning to the business office the week of Sept. 30, he was told there was no record of his request.
Three meetings in a row included students expressing frustration about issues SGA is unable to impact.
Hubbard said a college administrator will attend the next meeting Oct. 14 to speak about transferring, advising and ordering transcripts.
Public relations sophomore Rene Orozco said he doesn’t think it is SGA’s job to fix the problems; SGA is a tool for voicing opinion.
“We’re not the ones getting salaries for doing their jobs,” Orozco said. “What I’m seeing here is an issue with employees who need to start doing their job … there is lack of communication, lack of technical support.”
Hubbard said, “SGA is not a watchdog group; it’s not supposed to be a watchdog group.”
Orozco said, “We can only talk so much. After that, there needs to be some form of escalation.”
The next SGA meeting will be at noon Monday in the craft room of Loftin Student Center.