Texas A&M administrators hope to use the $1.1-million Bus Operations surplus from the Student Services Fee toward a student leadership retreat center.
Architects will present preliminary designs for the retreat center to the A&M System Board of Regents today, but no action will be taken by the board.
The student body voted in Spring 2001 to add a $50-per-semester transportation fee to the student fee statement, making Student Services Fee funds previously earmarked for Bus Operations unnecessary. The Student Services Fee was not altered with regard to Bus Operations, resulting in a surplus.
The additional money is to be used on a one-time basis, said Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. J. Malon Southerland. He said a Student Services Fee rebate was considered but not adopted.
Southerland said he was given the option of using part of the $1 million for any unforeseen funding problems with student services, but that measure is not necessary.
Instead, he asked Director of Student Activities Kevin Jackson to recommend to the Student Service Fee Advisory Board (SSFAB) that the $1-million surplus be used to build the retreat center.
“I think it’s a terrific potential compromise,” Southerland said. “We didn’t dip into it (the million dollars), so we have it now for whatever arises. I’m reluctant to ask for money from the students, but [the retreat center] would be such a good way to use it.”
The additional funds could be used in other areas of student services, to help finance the proposed retreat center and attract matching funds from potential donors, or not used at all, Southerland said.
If used for building the retreat center, the $1 million would be the only direct student contribution to the center, Southerland said, and would allow the center to assess a lower user fee than would otherwise be necessary.
No relationship exists between the additional student services money and University President Dr. Ray M. Bowen’s proposed Excellence Fee, Southerland said. A $6-million shortfall in the University’s budget prompted Bowen to ask the Board of Regents last month for a $10- to $30-per-student fee.
The Excellence Fee would address needs in academic areas, and if approved, Southerland said his department would join the line of petitioners requesting a cut of the fee revenue.
“There is simply no relationship between other fees and this,” Southerland said. “They are for different purposes entirely.”
Once the SSFAB reaches a decision on how the money should be spent, the decision must be approved by the administration. The Student Senate and the Graduate Student Council are given the opportunity to endorse the decision by resolution.
Students paid $11.86 per semester credit hour in student service fees for Fall 2001, compared to $11.62 per semester credit hour in Spring 2001.
The SSFAB can recommend a 10-percent increase in the Student Services Fee without consulting the state legislature.