The student voice and your student fees

Editor,

Student fees are always a topical issue on campus. What we fund and how we fund it are questions we are often asked. The current controversy surrounding student fee support to the inaugural “Sex Week” has started an important conversation at perhaps the best possible time. 

For those in disagreement with the choice to use student fees to facilitate student services like risqué sexual health seminars, this is the perfect opportunity to let your voice be heard. For those in support, this is also the opportunity to advocate.

Sexual health seminars are not the only programs on campus funded by student fees. A myriad of programs geared toward student development can be found across the length and breadth of the University campuses. Some of these programs include student employment, bus passes, Student Health and Counseling services, Children’s Campus services and discounted pricing to Popejoy Hall and sporting events. It is therefore critical that we remind you of how important you are to this process and the recommendations made to spend your fees.

What is SFRB?

The Student Fee Review Board (SFRB) is composed of student government representatives from both ASUNM and GPSA. This ten-member board (6 undergraduate and 4 graduate students) is tasked with the responsibility of making recommendations on behalf of the general student population on how we spend the “fee” portion of your “tuition and fees.” Our decisions will be based on input from every student that participates in this process, whether by attending the forums we host, sending an email to us or talking with members one-on-one. We are glad that sexual health week has sparked this conversation and hope this will result in more students being involved in the process from beginning to end when all decisions have been made and finalized.

Hearings for next year (the 2015-2016 fiscal year) begin this Friday, Oct. 3 and run until Sunday, Oct. 5. While no recommendations will be made, as the hearings are only for the units to present their applications and members of the Board to ask questions, this is the perfect opportunity to hear of the plans being proposed by these units and will prepare you for the public forums that follow.

Student Forums

Students will have the opportunity to voice their concerns, show support or pose questions to these applicants during sessions scheduled for Monday, Oct. 13 from noon until 1 p.m. in the SUB Atrium and Thursday, Oct. 16 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., also in the SUB Atrium. These are public forums and we invite all students to participate in the process. During these forums, members of the board will be on hand to answer your questions and hear your concerns.

There are many applicant units seeking student support, so we highly encourage students to attend and lend your voice to the process. Again, this is your chance to let us know the programs you feel we should support.

All 32 applications can be found at our website, sfrb.unm.edu, and the board eagerly welcomes dialogue with all students. Please feel free to reach out to us at SFRB@unm.edu

Sincerely,

Student Fee Review Board

2014-2015