By Laura de Leon
SGA President Melissa Quintanilla and Lead Jaguar Ambassador Eva Mullen attended the Chancellor’s Student Advisory Council Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 at Texas A&M-Kingsville in conjunction with The Texas A&M System Board of Regents meeting.
Reached last week, Jolene Des Roches, Student Government Association adviser, said Quintanilla and Mullen would provide the system with positive goals met by this university, including record enrollment of 4,100 student for fall 2012, the $2,000 revenue earned by student organizations at this year’s Fall Fest and the implementation of the Jaguar Academic Guide for Success (JAGS).
Quintanilla, who returned to San Antonio on Friday, said she and Mullen attended the Texas A&M System Board of Regents meeting. Quintanilla said student representatives reported enrollment growth across the system this year.
She said she enjoyed being around other A&M campuses.
“I loved it (Kingsville). It feels like you are a part of a big family,” Quintanilla said.
The Texas A&M University System Chancellor’s Student Advisory Council (CSAC) was created in 1982 to provide an avenue for all student leaders to address student issues common to all campuses within the A&M System, according to the website. CSAC consists of two student representatives from each institution.
Des Roches said that CSAC is the university’s connection with the A&M system, CSAC adviser James Hallmark and Chancellor John Sharp.
CSACs mission is to provide representation for the students and promotes student involvement in student affairs. Des Roches said that at those meetings, all the SGAs meet and discuss issues they are facing, how they got through them and the chancellor’s past experiences.
“(CSAC) is a big student advisory council where the chancellor can say I’ve been dealing with this over the years and this is what I can give you and what I can do for your campuses,” Des Roches said.
Des Roches said that following the Board of Regents meeting, Quintanilla and Mullen would debrief what occurred in their CSAC meeting to the university’s executive team.
This university’s CSAC representatives are typically SGA members, but Des Roches said they wanted to keep the council familiar with previous representatives. Mullen, social science senior, was appointed before SGA elections took place and SGA positions were finalized for the fall semester.
“We continued with Eva to keep that continuity,” Des Roches said.
Jaguar Ambassadors
Special education junior Mary Loredo and Hoyt Garner, masters of science in reading, were added as Jaguar Ambassadors to address student concerns as an alternative to SGA and Campus Activities Board.
As an outlet to the student body, Jaguar Ambassadors communicate information to administration, direct students to advisers and answer questions about university matters, as reported on The Mesquite on Sept. 20.
Des Roches said the ambassadors will be working in two teams to provide a direct link for students to discuss matters that involve student activities, campus life, SGA and Campus Activity Board.
The teams are paired up to be responsible for SGA or CAB concerns. Mullen and Hoyt will be taking care of SGA. Steven Zavala, Lead Jaguar Ambassador and English senior, and Laredo will provide support for CAB.
Des Roches said the ambassadors are like the “checks and balances” for campus activities, the office of the president and the office of student life. If a student is not comfortable going to a specific SGA or CAB member with a concern, the ambassadors can present the students’ issues on their behalf.
“Here are four people on campus who are completely unbiased; they’re students themselves,” Des Roches said. “They are there to provide students with another way to be heard.”
