The Student Technology Fee Oversight Committee approved $1,004,927 in discipline-specific proposals for the 2015-16 fiscal year during its meeting yesterday.
Of the 28 submitted proposals, the Committee approved 17 from eight colleges and two other areas of LSU. The approved technology requests ranged from computers and presentation spaces to lighting classroom upgrades.
Each year, the Committee discusses how to best distribute the $1 million it has to appropriate. The 10 voting members rank the proposals and then discuss in order of their ranking.
Last year, the Committee funded the top nine proposals but the costs of most of this year’s submissions allowed for more proposals to be approved.
“The discipline-specific proposals were varied and required thoughtful discussion and analysis,” Senior Vice Provost Jane Cassidy said. “In the end, the students will get ‘big bang for their buck’ across the campus with the proposals that were approved.”
Programs such as the College of Engineering, College of Science, and College of Music and Dramatic Arts submitted proposals alongside the LSU Libraries and Student Life and Enrollment. Cassidy said the best part about the Committee is the students who are a part of it as they help make the decision about where their money goes.
Student Government President Andrew Mahtook said those two questions were the spine behind the reason of most of the approved proposals.
“We’re here to help as many areas as possible,” Cassidy said. “But we have to make sure what we fund will help improve things for students who pay these fees first.”
Many proposals were interdisciplinary, meaning students from every area of campus could benefit from the their installment. Mahtook said these proposals will continue to make LSU a competitive university in regards to research, science and technology.
“That’s what I looked for when ranking the proposals,” Mahtook said. “I looked for what would benefit students while making us a more known presence outside of campus.”