From the Online Collegian
While decisions on real estate negotiations between Texas Southmost College and the University of Texas at Brownsville are still being finalized, the institutions have reached several decisions as they progress toward separation.
Students will not be charged a Student Union fee
starting this fall because the facility will be repurposed for student support services, officials say.
Junior computer engineering major Muhammad Tahir is involved in a student organization and is concerned about where his organization will meet.
“[The] Student Union is the only place where we arrange all the meetings, Tahir said. “If they change that building into something else, that would be a problem with us.”
Student Life Director Sergio Martinez said the Union’s meeting rooms will be used primarily for tutoring.
“We are moving Learning Enrichment, one of the tutoring services, to the second floor,” he said. “A lot of the Link2Success classes will be held in the meeting rooms.”
Martinez said he is working with the Office of Space Management to identify spaces that student organizations may have access to.
“[Students] are more than welcome to use the rooms as they become available, but there is very limited availability,” he said. “… I’ll be asking student organizations for patience on this process as we work on getting used to our new spaces for the entire campus.”
Rosemary Martinez, vice president for Business Affairs, said UTB students will still be able to access the REK Center.
“We agreed that we would continue to charge the current REK [Center] fee to UTB students for their use of the facility,” Martinez said.
TSC students will be permitted to use the University Boulevard Library through 2016, but will not be
assessed a fee.
UT-Brownsville will no longer have programs at the International, Technology, Education and Commerce Center, the former Amigoland Mall. The Workforce Training and Continuing Education Department, which was located at the facility, will be moved to 1601 E. Price Rd.
“It’s not an area that [UTB] asked to hold classes in,” Texas Southmost College President Lily Tercero said of ITECC. “We offered them the opportunity to tell us where they wanted space and how much space they needed, and … I don’t think it was an area where they had requested space.”
Michael Putegnat, executive director for South Texas Academic Programs for the University of Texas System, said the system is renting several other buildings throughout the city, including the Cueto Building, 1301 E. Madison St.
“We needed extra administrative space; that’s closest we could get to the campus and that was the building that was nearest that had all the infrastructure in it and was available,” Putegnat said. “We would have loved to have [the buildings] closer, but the market is what it is.”
The UT System will make improvements to the Cueto building parking lot as part of the rent payment, Putegnat said.
Tercero said the institutions are still finalizing many other decisions.
“In the new negotiated efforts that we’ve got with the UT System, I can say that the philosophy of the work that we’ve been doing between the UT System and TSC has been to be sure that whatever arrangements we arrive at will be able to allow for both student bodies to participate in activities and efforts,” Tercero said.
Among those activities is allowing UT-Brownsville to lease the TSC Arts Center.
“We’ve always offered access to any of the buildings that [UT-Brownsville] might need,” Tercero said. “That was part of the negotiation process we were going through,” Tercero said.
Negotiation is also taking place in regard to the meal contracts at El Comedor, the dining area of the Student Union.
“We would hope that we would continue to keep that vendor there or find someone willing to come into that space and provide food service,” Martinez said.
The Village at Fort Brown, which once served as student housing for UTB/TSC, will likely be torn down, Tercero said.
“We’ll most likely build parking for now, and then we’ll see when we move forth with a master facilities master plan, we’ll decide what to do with that in the future,” she said.
TSC will not have a student health center and will not have access to UTB’s Student Health Services Center.
“Community colleges, in general, don’t have the kind of facilities that universities have, including a full-fledged health services center, so I don’t anticipate our students needing to have access to something like that,” Tercero said.
Texas Southmost College is still looking at how to address the service of campus police.
“We’re still looking at deciding what we’re going to do with some of the functions and one of the functions includes the police department,” Tercero said.
“[The] Student Union is the only place where we arrange all the meetings, Tahir said. “If they change that building into something else, that would be a problem with us.”
Student Life Director Sergio Martinez said the Union’s meeting rooms will be used primarily for tutoring.
“We are moving Learning Enrichment, one of the tutoring services, to the second floor,” he said. “A lot of the Link2Success classes will be held in the meeting rooms.”Martinez said he is working with the Office of Space Management to identify spaces that student organizations may have access to.
“[Students] are more than welcome to use the rooms as they become available, but there is very limited availability,” he said. “… I’ll be asking student organizations for patience on this process as we work on getting used to our new spaces for the entire campus.”
Rosemary Martinez, vice president for Business Affairs, said UTB students will still be able to access the REK Center.
“We agreed that we would continue to charge the current REK [Center] fee to UTB students for their use of the facility,” Martinez said.
TSC students will be permitted to use the University Boulevard Library through 2016, but will not be
UT-Brownsville will no longer have programs at the International, Technology, Education and Commerce Center, the former Amigoland Mall. The Workforce Training and Continuing Education Department, which was located at the facility, will be moved to 1601 E. Price Rd.
“It’s not an area that [UTB] asked to hold classes in,” Texas Southmost College President Lily Tercero said of ITECC. “We offered them the opportunity to tell us where they wanted space and how much space they needed, and … I don’t think it was an area where they had requested space.”
Michael Putegnat, executive director for South Texas Academic Programs for the University of Texas System, said the system is renting several other buildings throughout the city, including the Cueto Building, 1301 E. Madison St.
“We needed extra administrative space; that’s closest we could get to the campus and that was the building that was nearest that had all the infrastructure in it and was available,” Putegnat said. “We would have loved to have [the buildings] closer, but the market is what it is.”
The UT System will make improvements to the Cueto building parking lot as part of the rent payment, Putegnat said.
Tercero said the institutions are still finalizing many other decisions.
“In the new negotiated efforts that we’ve got with the UT System, I can say that the philosophy of the work that we’ve been doing between the UT System and TSC has been to be sure that whatever arrangements we arrive at will be able to allow for both student bodies to participate in activities and efforts,” Tercero said.
Among those activities is allowing UT-Brownsville to lease the TSC Arts Center.
“We’ve always offered access to any of the buildings that [UT-Brownsville] might need,” Tercero said. “That was part of the negotiation process we were going through,” Tercero said.
Negotiation is also taking place in regard to the meal contracts at El Comedor, the dining area of the Student Union.
“We would hope that we would continue to keep that vendor there or find someone willing to come into that space and provide food service,” Martinez said.
The Village at Fort Brown, which once served as student housing for UTB/TSC, will likely be torn down, Tercero said.
“We’ll most likely build parking for now, and then we’ll see when we move forth with a master facilities master plan, we’ll decide what to do with that in the future,” she said.
TSC will not have a student health center and will not have access to UTB’s Student Health Services Center.
“Community colleges, in general, don’t have the kind of facilities that universities have, including a full-fledged health services center, so I don’t anticipate our students needing to have access to something like that,” Tercero said.
Texas Southmost College is still looking at how to address the service of campus police.
“We’re still looking at deciding what we’re going to do with some of the functions and one of the functions includes the police department,” Tercero said.
7 comments:
TSC will be about education and training of people for jobs and the professions. "Student Life" is not on their radar screen. It is not a place to spent time and money enjoying an extended adolescence.
I suspect TSC greatly needs the fees from UTB students for operation of the REK Center. The operation costs of this facility are thousands of dollars per month.
TSC Rocks!!!!!!!!!
Who is Lucio Mendoza?
http://www.progresstimes.net/news/local-news/3873-mcisd-discusses-magnet-school-implementation-.html
Why is Lucio Mendoza approving 800K American security cameras for Enrique's brother Jaime??
Mission, Texas school board approves $800K security upgrade
BY JACQUELINE ARMENDARIZ
SOURCE: THE MONITOR, MCALLEN, TEXAS
CREATED: JUNE 17, 2013
Money to be used to install more than 380 surveillance cameras
June 17--MISSION -- The contract approved by the Mission school board for hundreds of cameras this past week is the largest chunk of an overall plan to upgrade district security infrastructure.
After a May bidding process, American Surveillance was chosen by the school board Wednesday night. The board approved the purchase of cameras and software from the Brownsville-based company at a price tag of $801,319 to come from the general fund.
The sum, less than the original amount of $848,111.78 first proposed by the company, landed in the middle among the bids submitted by three companies, according to school board documents.
The proposal from American Surveillance lists a total of 384 cameras to be installed inside and outside.
That's just phase two of the Mission school district's plan that officials said they believe is among the foremost in the Rio Grande Valley. The upgrade will likely approach a cost of more than $1 million, they said.
Lucio Mendoza, assistant superintendent for finance and operations, said he believes the only other place in the country that a similar security system might be found is the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The discussion to ramp up security infrastructure began four years ago, he said.
"Finally, I think the incident at Sandy Hook is when we took it to the board," he said.
In December, the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut shook the nation to its core when a gunman claimed the lives of 26 people.
Mendoza said shortly after the start of this coming school year, 60 percent to 70 percent of the cameras should be installed at a remaining 20 or so campuses. The board has also authorized the creation of a command center manned by technicians who will monitor the cameras.
In March, the district had already invested about $360,000 in camera systems, according to Monitor archives. Other items in phase two include $69,000 in projected costs for rolling electric gates, about $87,000 for wireless panic buttons and $180,000 for magnetic locks to automatically close doors to buildings, according to Monitor archives.
Mendoza said the district is exploring the placement of the panic buttons in classrooms and security footage DVR recorders have also been replaced.
"They are at the point where they're basically dying," he said of the recording equipment.
Since March, every classroom is locked from the outside at all times per district policy. Part of the focus is to limit movement and control campus access, Mendoza said, funneling all traffic to the front office of a campus.
With the Mission school district's location on the U.S.-Mexico border, Mendoza and district spokesman Craig Verley acknowledged law enforcement works with the entities to ensure student safety.
The officials said discussion of the district's security upgrades came with input from the local fire and police departments. Verley said local and state law enforcement usually promptly notifies the district if they see a situation that might warrant a lockdown developing.
"We learn from each and every incident," Verley said.
Mendoza said the security upgrade may include a phase three.
When asked whether the public has expressed any concerns about privacy, Mendoza said only a selected group of employees will have access to the security footage. Mendoza said even he is not included in that group.
"We're not doing this just to please anybody," Mendoza said. "We're doing this to try and ensure the safety of their children."
jarmendariz@themonitor.com
Copyright 2013 - The Monitor, McAllen, Texas
Is Lucio Mendoza Enrique and Otis new puppet?
Who is really the Puppet Master?
Mission, Texas school board approves $800K security upgrade
BY JACQUELINE ARMENDARIZ
SOURCE: THE MONITOR, MCALLEN, TEXAS
CREATED: JUNE 17, 2013
Money to be used to install more than 380 surveillance cameras
June 17--MISSION -- The contract approved by the Mission school board for hundreds of cameras this past week is the largest chunk of an overall plan to upgrade district security infrastructure.
After a May bidding process, American Surveillance was chosen by the school board Wednesday night. The board approved the purchase of cameras and software from the Brownsville-based company at a price tag of $801,319 to come from the general fund.
The sum, less than the original amount of $848,111.78 first proposed by the company, landed in the middle among the bids submitted by three companies, according to school board documents.
The proposal from American Surveillance lists a total of 384 cameras to be installed inside and outside.
That's just phase two of the Mission school district's plan that officials said they believe is among the foremost in the Rio Grande Valley. The upgrade will likely approach a cost of more than $1 million, they said.
Lucio Mendoza, assistant superintendent for finance and operations, said he believes the only other place in the country that a similar security system might be found is the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The discussion to ramp up security infrastructure began four years ago, he said.
"Finally, I think the incident at Sandy Hook is when we took it to the board," he said.
In December, the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut shook the nation to its core when a gunman claimed the lives of 26 people.
Mendoza said shortly after the start of this coming school year, 60 percent to 70 percent of the cameras should be installed at a remaining 20 or so campuses. The board has also authorized the creation of a command center manned by technicians who will monitor the cameras.
In March, the district had already invested about $360,000 in camera systems, according to Monitor archives. Other items in phase two include $69,000 in projected costs for rolling electric gates, about $87,000 for wireless panic buttons and $180,000 for magnetic locks to automatically close doors to buildings, according to Monitor archives.
Mendoza said the district is exploring the placement of the panic buttons in classrooms and security footage DVR recorders have also been replaced.
"They are at the point where they're basically dying," he said of the recording equipment.
Since March, every classroom is locked from the outside at all times per district policy. Part of the focus is to limit movement and control campus access, Mendoza said, funneling all traffic to the front office of a campus.
With the Mission school district's location on the U.S.-Mexico border, Mendoza and district spokesman Craig Verley acknowledged law enforcement works with the entities to ensure student safety.
The officials said discussion of the district's security upgrades came with input from the local fire and police departments. Verley said local and state law enforcement usually promptly notifies the district if they see a situation that might warrant a lockdown developing.
"We learn from each and every incident," Verley said.
Mendoza said the security upgrade may include a phase three.
When asked whether the public has expressed any concerns about privacy, Mendoza said only a selected group of employees will have access to the security footage. Mendoza said even he is not included in that group.
"We're not doing this just to please anybody," Mendoza said. "We're doing this to try and ensure the safety of their children."
jarmendariz@themonitor.com
Copyright 2013 - The Monitor, McAllen, Texas
Viva TSC
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