The Collegian (2008-08-25)
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University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ScholarWorks @ UTRGV The Collegian Special Collections and Archives 8-25-2008 The Collegian (2008-08-25) Isis Lopez The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/collegian Recommended Citation The Collegian (BLIBR-0075). UTRGV Digital Library, The University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Special Collections and Archives at ScholarWorks @ UTRGV. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Collegian by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UTRGV. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. THE STUDENT VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT BROWNSVILLE AND TEXAS SOUTHMOST COLLEGE THE Volume 61 Monday OLLEGIANwww.collegian.utb.edu CIssue 2 August 25, 2008 TSC tax rate hearing Thursday Enrollment By Julianna Sosa operating budget of the district --Property acquisition, raise the same amount of dollars up slightly Staff Writer is funded by tax revenues, which $1,250,000 as the 2007 rate; and the rollback provide funding for scholarships, --Insurance, $1,177,683 rate, which is 16.51 cents and By Julianna Sosa The first of two public hearings capital improvements, deferred --Institutional Advancement would generate 8 percent more in Staff Writer on the proposed 2008 Texas maintenance, insurance and (partnership budget/grant writers), revenue than the 2007 rate. Southmost College District tax administration. $530,169 Sanchez gave two examples A total of 11,581 students were rate is set for 5 p.m. Thursday in Melba Sanchez, assistant vice --Library (partnership budget), showing the effect of the tax rates registered for classes at UTB/TSC the Gorgas Hall boardroom. president for finance, said ad $250,000 on homes valued at $87,000 and as of Wednesday, the first day of On Aug. 15, the TSC board of valorem taxes fund $15,478,050 --TSC operating expenses, $100,000. classes for the fall semester. trustees voted to propose a tax rate of TSC’s operating expenses as $1,332,648 “On the $87,000 home, the That number is slightly of 16.10 cents per $100 valuation, follows: Sanchez presented the board tax bill would be $140.15 for higher than the 11,543 students the same rate approved in 2007. --Debt payment, $4,945,550 with three tax rates: the current, the district,” she said. “The registered at this time last year, Vice President for Partnership --Scholarships, $3,295,000 which is 16.10 cents per $100 said Linda Fossen, associate Affairs David Pearson explained --Campus improvements, valuation; the effective tax rate, • See ‘Tax,’ Page 8 vice president for Enrollment that about 84 percent of the $2,697,000 which is 15.35 cents and would Management. Fossen said the number of First in a series: The SAP Effect those registered is expected to grow because some high school Catch the spirit! students are still in the process of Withdrawals decrease, signing up for Dual Enrollment courses. As of Tuesday, 73 had suspensions increase registered for Dual Enrollment By Isis Lopez courses, and in Fall 2007 students classes. withdrew only an average of 4.9 “Last year, we had almost 6,000 Collegian Editor percent. students in the fall who were The number of UTB/TSC In Spring 2007, students taking Dual Enrollment,” Fossen students on suspension has nearly withdrew an average of 10.8 told The Collegian. “So, overall, quadrupled in the last two years. percent of their courses, and in I expect that we will be slightly The reason? The revised Spring 2008 students withdrew up in head count--that is, [the] Satisfactory Academic Progress only 5.3 percent. number of students attending policy. “To me, that was potentially school this fall compared to In Fall 2006, before the SAP good news, because at the least, in last.” policy was revamped, 248 terms of completion rate, students Dual Enrollment courses are students were on suspension and were not withdrawing from college-level courses offered to 1,121 on probation, according to as many classes, so they were high school students and count The Collegian’s archives. giving themselves more chance to for both high school and college In Spring 2008, 944 students succeed,” Dameron said. credit. were placed on suspension and University data also show over A total of 944 students are on 1,565 students were on probation the last two years, the passing rate suspension this semester because because of the requirements of versus the failing rate is fairly they did not meet the Satisfactory the SAP policy, Vice President similar. Academic Progress policy for Academic Affairs Charles “Then if you say, ‘OK, students requirements, according to Chet Dameron said. didn’t drop as many credit hours, Lewis, associate vice president “It’s probably too early to say so what happened?” Dameron said. for Business Affairs for Financial exactly what’s going on there,” “How did they do? Did they pass? Services. Dameron said. Did they fail? And, there are some UTB/TSC is making efforts to DIEGO LERMA/COLLEGIAN The SAP policy has shown of both, but it is interesting.” bring the suspended students back Scorpion midfielder Ricki Rodriguez (right) hurls a T-shirt to students who attended a effectiveness, though, he said. through a marketing campaign. • See Page 2 pep rally Thursday on the Student Union veranda. The event introduced UTB/TSC’s In Fall 2006, students withdrew ‘SAP,’ volleyball and men’s and women’s soccer teams to the campus community. an average of 9.3 percent of their • See ‘Enroll,’ Page 11 Pests under control, Page 3 Kraigher House, Page 7 Index: Briefs ............................ Page 2 Viewpoint ..................... Page 4 Sports ................... Pages 16-17 Noticias en Español, Página 19 Page 2 • August 25, 2008 ON CAMPUS The Collegian THE try to understand what their stand was, but also COLLEGIAN SAP for faculty and staff who work with students to Want to lead? Continued from Page 1 understand where they are.” The Collegian is the multime- Before, GPA requirements were dependent dia student newspaper serving the Join the SGA University of Texas at Brownsville The results are as follows: on the number of credits a student earned. A and Texas Southmost College. The In Fall 2006, on average, students passed 80 minimum percentage of courses completed was By Jorge Hernandez newspaper is widely distributed on percent of their courses and failed 10.6 percent. not required. In addition, students were placed Staff Writer campus and is an award-winning In Fall 2007, students passed 82.6 percent of on conditional probation before probation. member of the Texas Intercolle- their courses and failed 11.8 percent. UTB/TSC President Juliet V. García said in The Student Government Association is giate Press Association. In Spring 2007, students passed 78.4 percent a Collegian report on Aug. 27, 2007, that with recruiting UTB/TSC students to fill nearly Collegian Editor of their courses and failed 10.8 percent. In Spring the old policy, it was difficult to determine if a two dozen vacant positions. Isis Lopez 2008, students passed 83 percent and failed 11.2 student was on probation. “We have a lot of openings right now for percent. “There were some situations where the student different schools,” said Jorge Alanis, SGA Collegian Online Editor “The good news is that it’s going the same could have under a 2.0 [GPA] and still maintain president. “There are a lot of opportunities David Guerra direction,” Dameron said. “It might mean that satisfactory academic progress under the old for a lot of students looking forward to being Collegian Webcast Editor students are even more aware of SAP … because policy,” Linda Fossen, associate vice president that voice of the students and representing George Echeverria 83 percent is a little bit better than 82.6, and for Enrollment Planning, was quoted as saying in the students.” so it’s positive. In terms of failing, it’s kind of the Aug. 27, 2007 issue of The Collegian. Of the 37 positions in the student senate, Editor Spanish similar although, again, students didn’t fail [by] The policy changed in Fall 2007 because “the 22 are vacant, Alanis said. They include seats Graciela L. Salazar quite the same percentage.” university strives to maintain being an open- for vice presidents, senator representatives Sports Editor In order to meet SAP, students must have a admission university, and maintain high quality,” from each school and college, graduate Hugo E. Rodriguez 2.0 grade-point average and complete 70 percent García told The Collegian. senators, senators at large and senators from Advertising Manager of courses attempted, the freshman class. Roxanna Rosas both per semester and Besides Alanis, executive officers serving cumulatively. Probation and suspension comparison this year are Joel Alaffa, vice president of Advertising Representatives “We’ve always had administration, and Robert Paredes, vice Jose Luis Padilla standards,” Dameron president of policy and procedures. Valeria A. Sosa told The Collegian. Students can apply to represent the “Good standing is what School of Business, College of Science, Staff Writers we tended to call it Mathematics and Technology, School of David Boon before, but essentially Health Sciences, School of Education and Christine Cavazos it’s satisfactory the College of Applied Technology and Linet Cisneros academic progress. General Studies. Cynthia Hernandez We’re also trying to Jorge L. Hernandez simplify it, so that it • See ‘SGA,’ next page Paola Ibarra was easy for students to Leslie Olivares SOURCE: COLLEGIAN ARCHIVES Julianna Sosa Copy Editors B r i e f s Linet Cisneros 3 in Cardenas Hall North 104.