The WTAMU Student Fee Advisory Committee met on Feb. 24 to continue the discussion on student fee allocations for the next school year.

The meeting’s agenda covered allocations towards academic organizations such as Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE), Speech Team, KWTS 91.1 and more.

“The Student Service fee goes towards these groups [and student services],” Dr. Don Albrecht, vice president of Student Affairs, said.

In the meeting, Dr. Albrecht announced the final figures for the total amount of Student Complex, Student Service, Student Health and Recreational Sports fees that were available to use. Over $3 million are available in Student Service Fees.

“There are no proposals to raise the four fees from the administration,” Dr. Albrecht said in the Feb. 17 meeting.Most of the organizations that requested funding asked for an increase over last year’s allocated money, which Dr. Albrecht attributed to the rising cost of travel. The Marching, Symphonic and Concert bands asked for a significant increase in funding, from the $51,000 they were allocated in 2010-2011 to $106,675 for the 2012-2013 school year.

“It cost the band $24,000 just to get to Arlington this year [for the Buffs football game],” said  Dr. Albrecht. “Athletics just expected them to be there.”

Preston Beaty, a sophomore Music Education major, said he doesn’t know the big picture of how funding is distributed, but he supports the increase for the music department.

“We have definitely been treated pretty well lately, with the refurbished band hall and the new storage shed by the marching school,” Beaty said. “I know faculty members who have taken on positions as directors of ensembles that we had to create on the spot simply because of the band’s size. Our music department is growing at a very fast rate [and] its rapid growth rate could catch us unprepared should we not have enough funding.”

However, students such as senior Broadcasting major Frankie Sanchez feel that some of the organizations’ budgets can be handled through fundraising.

“I can see why [The Prairie, band, KWTS, and NSAC] would need more money because they have services to print, broadcast, travels, and stuff to physically produce,” Sanchez said. “[However], NBS (National Broadcasting Society) and other organizations I feel don’t need more money per sé because they can fundraise. They shouldn’t totally rely on school funds.”

The last committee meeting will take place on March 2 in JBK 13. The meeting will follow a public hearing format, which will allow an open session for the public and a closed session for deliberation.

Students who wish to testify in the open meeting must show up 15 minutes prior to the meeting. The committee will only accept testimony on that meeting’s agenda, which will be posted outside the Student Affairs office.