More than $1 million in student fee money is up for grabs as the 10-member Student Service Fee Advisory Board (SSFAB) considers how to spend funds previously designated for Bus Operations.
Students voted in Spring 2001 to add a $50-per-semester transportation fee to their schedules for increased on- and off-campus bus service, making revenue from the Student Services Fee unnecessary.
“The money given previously to Bus Operations has not been touched,” said Terry Pankratz, assistant vice president in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and the acting director of Student Health Services. “It is on reserve, but our expectation is for a decision to be made on its allocation in November.”
Despite the $1-million surplus, President Dr. Ray M. Bowen said this month the University is facing serious budget constraints and considering adding a $10 or $30 Excellence Fee to alleviate the deficit.
Suzanne Bolduc, the 2001-2002 SSFAB chair and a senior mechanical engineering major, said the committee is reviewing recommendations from A&M departments and expects to hear a presentation from the Department of Student Activities in early October.
“We are trying to get all of our recommendations for allocations,” Bolduc said. “We actually are still hearing budget requests from all departments. We are going to take and consider all the allocations requests and we could allocate it to departmental requests entirely or for a larger project.”
The SSFAB’s recommendation must be approved by the Student Senate, the Faculty Senate, A&M administrators and the Board of Regents before it is implemented.
Students paid $11.86 per semester credit hour in student service fees for Fall 2001, compared to $11.62 per semester credit hour during the 2000-2001 year.
The surplus revenue accounts for about 10 percent of the $11.6 million collected in student service fees for the 2001-2002 school year.