Twenty-one campus groups will receive a share of about $155,000 collected this semester as part of the
student service fee.
On Feb. 8, student organizations stood before the Student Service Fee Advisory Committee,
(S.S.F.A.C.), to ask for funding. Some organizations received all the funding they asked for, while others
got less.
Phi Theta Kappa asked for $50,350 and received $20,000, which was the most of any student group,
records show. The TJC Band and Phi Rho Pi (Speech and Debate), each received $15,000, the next biggest
amount awarded.
The S.S.F.A.C. financial grant is significant to some organizations.
Phi Rho Pi Director M’Liss Hindman said receiving S.S.F.A.C. funds is essential to the organization.
“Our organization is a little different from many others because our financial needs are similar to an
athletic team’s due to all of the travel and competition.
Phi Rho Pi could not continue to successfully compete on the state and national level if it were not for
S.S.F.A.C. funds,” she said. “We have had an increased number of students interested in competing for TJC
and, of course, expenses escalate each year due to the economy. So the S.S.F.A.C. funding is very essential.”
Some organizations didn’t seek a large amount of money.
Las Mascaras asked for and received $1,745. Las Mascaras President TJ Rankin said the club uses the
money towards its venue, theatre scrapbook, banquet, awards and pieces to build sets for the theatrical performances.
A question that always comes up when it’s time for S.S.F.A.C. funding is whether the process of awarding the money is fair.
Some students in the past have questioned whether S.S.F.A.C. committee members held grudgesagainst certain organizations and possibly ruined those organizations’ chances of getting the amount of money they were seeking.
However, student Lewis Sharp believes that is no longer the case.
“(With) the system that I see, I don’t think so because it’s an arbitrary process,” Sharp said.
Rankin stated that “you got to be reasonable” in deciding how much money to ask for.
Representatives of groups had to say in their proposals before the committee how they would use S.S.F.A.C. money to fulfill TJC’s three promises: 1. A Quality Education; 2. A Vibrant Student Life; and 3. Community Service.
According to the S.S.F.A.C. Constitution, the committee considers what the organization wants to do, why they want to do it, and what the results will be before awarding money.
The S.S.F.A.C. committee consists of seven student representatives appointed by the Student Senate president and approved by the vice president of Student Affairs, two faculty members that are elected by the Faculty Senate and the Student Senate president, according to information in the S.S.F.A.C. organization proposal packet.
Members of the S.S.F.A.C. committee were:Brianna Palmer (committee Chair), Tracey Lornson (committee secretary), Misty Lopez, Kathryn Young, Roy Horton, Gerardo Hernandez, Austin Reed (Freshman Class president), faculty members Beverly
Bugay and Lisa Baker, and Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Johnny Moore.
