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Howdy Ags!
Unfortunately we just found out that Loftin asked the Board of Regents (BOR) to approve a $36.30 per semester increase in the University Advancement Fee (UAF). We also know that Loftin proposed this fee to the BOR last year to eliminiate any sort of transparancy that was currently in place. That means any increase, or possibly a pattern of increases, has drastic consequences for the conservatives at Texas A&M University.
Although 65% of students voted against an increase in the UAF during the Spring 2013 student referendum, and an independent survey conducted by Aggie Polling yielded similar results (66% of students against), Loftin and his cronies have already charted a direct course to your wallet, and they aren't backing down.
Fortunately, the Board of Regents has full control over student fees, meaning they can shoot down any proposed increase that Loftin is lobbying for. But we must act now to make sure our side is represented. If we don't submit written testimony or appear in person at the Board of Regents meeting this May 1, 2013 at the MSC Grand Ballroom. This is our best opportunity to make your voice heard and to keep student fees from increasing.
Click here or follow the link below to send written testimony to the Board of Regents. If submitted by Monday night, we will make sure they receive it on time, and it will be considered offical written testimony that must be considered before they vote. For your convenience, we have provided you a message that is ready to go, but feel free to edit what is provided; personalize your testimony with your story or unique situation. Once you hit submit, the Board of Regents will receive your testimony and will consider it before voting on the proposed fee increase.
Besides submitting written testimony, you can also speak at the Board of Regents meeting on Wednesday, May 1 at around 5:30pm at the MSC Grand Ballroom. I'll be there testifying, and I strongly encourage you to be there as well. Whether it be speaking before the BOR and sharing your unique situation, or holding up signs at the back of the BOR meeting, I highly encourage attendance at the meeting. It is up to you to make sure that the voice of the students is powerful at the upcoming Board of Regents meeting.
Some of my friends and I are also holding a protest on Wednesday. If you are interested in attending to protest, testify, or both, feel free to email us for more information. I urge you to join me and fellow Ags on Wednesday. The more students who are in attendance, the greater the chance that we will successfully prevent the fee from increasing.
The members of the Board of Regents are reasonable people, and many of them seem genuinely interested in the student experience. However, the Regents typically hear much more from administrators than they do from students. Let's change this. We must let them hear how unnecessary fee increases hurt A&M students. I know they'll listen.
After you submit your written testimony, please help me spread the word about preventing the fee increase. Get as many of your friends as you can to tell the regents to vote NO to raising fees.
We can't let the Texas A&M administrators get away with this unnecessary fee increase! With A&M's enrollment being at its highest ever, there's more fee revenue than ever before, but that's not enough for the administration. In fact, they will always want more and more money per student. And they will get away with it, unless you take action. Tell the BOR that your student fees are high enough already!
It is critically important that we act now! In order for your letter to count, it must be received by the end of the day on Monday. But this is the best thing we can do if we want our voices heard and our side represented at the upcoming Board of Regents meeting.
I know that if we come together like Aggies are known for doing, we can make sure that an education at Texas A&M university stays affordable for future generations of Aggies. We must protect the availability of an education at Texas A&M for future generations of Aggies. It is up to us to leave Texas A&M a better school than we found it.
Ags, I urge you to tell the Board of Regents how you feel about increasing your student fees. Tell them you will not sit idle while they increase your mandatory student fees, without even listening to the voice of the students. Tell them your story, your unique situation. Make sure they know who they are hurting if they ultimitely decide to vote for a fee increase. But make sure that they know they will be held accountable for their actions!
For more information regarding the proposed increase in the UAF by Loftin and his administration, click here.
For more information regarding public testimony at the Board of Regents meeting, click here.
For background information about the University's propaganda regarding the currently proposed fee increase, click here.
For background information about the proposed increase in the UAF by the TAMU administration, click here.
For background information about the crony survey conducted by the Office of the President, and why the results don't even matter, please click here.
For a copy of the sandwich board that was displayed on campus Monday, please click here.
