VOTE YOURSELF $135 FEES A SEMESTER, NO B'VILLE TEAMS

(The rushed referendum is from UTRGV to get students to agree to vote for the $11.25/credit hour fee increase. Thar's $135 per semester, per student. They claim that most students won’t actually have to pay for it because of financial aid or a cap, but all new students will pay it. And no indication that the Brownsville campus will see any extracurricular activities. We get the pleasure of watching the Edinburg guys play. Whoopie.)

From: Veronica Gonzales <Veronica.Gonzales@utrgv.edu>
Subject: Student Referendum
Date: September 8, 2021 at 11:11:21 AM CDT

To: Undisclosed recipients:;

Good morning,

I hope you are enjoying getting back to your regular life, if only for a few short weeks.

As you know, UTRGV has been expanding educational opportunities since we opened our doors in 2015 via the addition of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs and while we have come a long way in that regard, we are still working on creating a more vibrant campus life that will unite students and alumni alike.

Last night, our Student Government Association voted unanimously to present to all students, for a vote, a referendum that would propose increasing the intercollegiate athletics fee to provide funding to support the expansion, creation and continued support of football, women’s swimming and diving, marching bands and spirit groups. 

The increase being proposed to the intercollegiate athletic fee is $11.25 per credit hour, capped at 12 credit hours ($135 per semester). The fee, if approved, will not affect most current students because they are locked in with guaranteed tuition and fees for four years (graduate students have guaranteed tuition and fees for two years). 

The fee increase would only impact new incoming students and students outside the guaranteed tuition and fees program and would not be implemented until Fall, 2022. The proposed fee increase is needed at this time to meet the February, 2022 UT System Board of Regents meeting deadline for a Fall, 2022 implementation. Students will vote on the referendum on November 8, 9 and 10th.

I’ve attached for you a short infographic that was presented to SGA and which contains some informative Q&A. In addition to the information contained within the attachment, you should know that currently, over 44 percent of all UTRGV students (undergraduates and graduates) and over 51 percent of those receiving financial assistance have no out-of-pocket expenses. 

This means that their tuition and mandatory fees are fully paid by grants, scholarships and other forms of financial aid, including our Tuition Advantage Program, which applies to families that make $95,000 or less. 

 And, if the Pell grant amounts are increased by the federal government, as is currently being proposed, we expect the percentage of students who pay no out of pocket costs to increase significantly.

The proposed expansion of these programs will help to:

· Create nearly 500 new opportunities for student involvement with the increase in spirit participants, marching band participants, football, and swimming & diving student-athletes, and additional student athletic trainers and managers.

· Expand access to athletics for students throughout the Rio Grande Valley, as the football team plans to play in Brownsville every year, and the swimming & diving team will compete in Pharr. Marching band and spirit program opportunities will be available for both the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses. 

There will be free transportation for students from the Brownsville campus to home football games in Edinburg and free transportation for students from the Edinburg campus to home football games in Brownsville. Current UTRGV students will receive free admission to all home football and swimming & diving competitions.

· Enhance school spirit and pride throughout the Rio Grande Valley with creation of marching bands and expanded spiritprograms on both the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses.

· Increase UTRGV’s enrollment, which will provide more funding to the university, not only through tuition, but through state allocated formula funding. Tuition and state funds cannot be used for intercollegiate athletics and, therefore, all new funds generated by increased enrollment can be used to improve and expand on academic offerings and facilities, further elevating the university’s prestige. Increased enrollment revenue is also used to fund financial aid programs such as Tuition Advantage.

· Boost the local economy and create more job opportunities for UTRGV students and alumni. According to an economic impact study conducted by the UTRGV Data and Information Services Center, excluding construction impacts related to UTRGV starting an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program, the addition of football is projected to create 144 jobs, generate $8.1 million in labor income, and create $10.7 million in value added for a total economic impactof $13.2 million. 

Based on tax laws that existed at the time of the study, an FCS program would also generate $396,000 in state and local taxes as well as $1.8 million in federal taxes.

We are excited about the possibility of enhancing the student experience and campus life at UTRGV and hope you will share in our excitement. Please feel free to reach out to me, Richard Sanchez or Veronica De La Garza should you have any questions.