A&M campus is 1 of up to 7 as statewide campaign seeks to raise millions for sustainability
In a campus-wide vote on held Wednesday and Thursday, students at Texas A&M University chose to raise their own fees by $3 per semester to support environmental services on campus. The move will create what’s been dubbed the “Aggie Green Fund,” which will raise up to $300,000 per year for sustainability.
“I feel privileged to have been one of the students leading the Aggie Green Fund initiative,” said Aggie junior Faby Molina. “The amount of support we have seen from the student body, both at Texas A&M and across the state, shows that students are not only ready to embrace sustainability initiatives, but more importantly, are ready to lead them.”
The vote comes after a new state law passed in 2009 gave approval to public colleges and universities in Texas to establish such fees if they were supported by the student body. HB 3353 was authored by Elliot Naishtat (D-Austin) and co-authored by Fred Brown (R-College Station) and provides guidelines on how the money can be spent.
“By approving the Aggie Green Fund referendum, the Texas A&M student body has sent a clear message about the importance of incorporating sustainability into our campus dynamics, and it affirms that our campus administration is moving in the direction desired by students,” said Kelly Wellman, Sustainability Officer for Texas A&M.
Texas A&M and UT Austin aren’t the only campuses going green this spring. The “Think Green Fund” campaign was launched in February by ReEnergize Texas, a coalition of student groups focused on climate and energy issues. Students across Texas have joined the campaign to establish campus green funds on up to seven public universities in Texas, including UT El Paso, UT Pan American, UT San Antonio, the University of North Texas and the University of Houston.
The green fund campaign is unique in that the Texas Legislature gave pre-approval to the necessary fees during the 2009 legislative session, clearing a major hurdle for most student-driven fees.
“It shows that our state lawmakers think this is an important priority,” said Jackie Trevino, leader of the campus campaign at UT Pan American.
Most of the remaining campuses will hold special elections on Earth Day, April 22nd. If all seven participating campuses pass the initiative, they will join Texas State in giving Texas eight public colleges with green fees, more than any other state.
For more on the Think Green Fund campaign, go to http://aggiegreenfund.com/ or http://thinkgreenfund.org/.
Contacts:
Faby Molina, Aggie Green Fund Campaign Coordinator, at (956) 537-1717 or Trevor Lovell, ReEnergize Director, at (512) 470-6572
Tags: environment, green fund
I’m currently a student at Texas A&M in College Station; I’m just a little confused about this Green Fund.
My questions for you are as follows: First, what is the selection process for those who are in the authoritative position to choose how to spend this abundant amount of money each year? I do not recall being given the option to vote for faculty or students to lead this initiative. Second, what is the accountability function for this leaders? Who is responsible for overseeing that their job is being completed to standard? Third, what is their job? What are the exact goals we have as a University in this Green Initiative. I understand that we should be proud of being deemed a Green University, but what is our plan of action from this point forward? Specifically, how do those in the authoritative position to spend this money plan to make the A&M community more environmentally friendly?
Thanks.
Jennifer
Pardon my typing-errors: “What is the accountability function for *these* leaders?
Question is why did the students vote fort this fee increase when it is the parents who pay most if not all the tuition, understanding there are a few exceptions.
Jennifer – the students who initiated the referendum have proposed an advisory board structure which involves a total of six student appointments: three students selected from the Student Body President (SBP), Residence Hall Association (RHA) President, Graduate Student Council (GSC) President or their delegates along with three open applications for eligible full-time students to be selected by a SBP applicant review process. The advisory board would also potentially have three non-student members (faculty and staff). While the administration is ultimately responsible for ensuring that funds are spent in accordance with University guidelines, the advisory board would allocate which project proposals are funded and ensure proper reporting requirements. You can visit http://aggiegreenfund.com to learn more about the program’s goals and project criteria. Please keep in mind that the Adminsitration is currently reviewing the details of how to most effectively operate this program. Should you have more questions, please feel free to contact me directly or you can email the responsible sudents at info@aggiegreenfund.com.