STFC allocates student fee money toward technology

Ever wondered what that $40 Student Technology Fee listed on your tuition balance goes toward? When asked, sophomore Samuel Driz said "I have no idea. If I had to guess I would say the people who maintain the computers at school-the people in the computer labs in Cherry Parks." However, this isn't the case. Full-time students pay their $40 Student Technology Fee to the ASUWT Committee, STFC. For this winter quarter alone, 3,155 full-time students enrolled. Multiply that number by $40 and this number comes to $126,200. For part-time students, the Student Technology Fee is prorated. Yet even though students are paying this fee, it seems that some aren't aware of what STFC stands for. "Student T-…I don't know what it stands for," freshman Brendan Ng said. Some students aren't aware of how STFC functions either. "I don't even know what that is," sophomore Beth Crook said. STFC stands for the Student Technology Fee Committee, which functions to provide funds for the improvement of technology for students at UW Tacoma. "It's basically technology funded for students by students," STFC Co-Chair and senior Daniel Arroyo said. Yet, if students' money provides the funding that this committee allocates, why is it that some know so little about STFC? "STFC wasn't communicated effectively to students in the past. This year, has differed greatly. The committee has talked to more students, we've been getting e-mails and concerns and we've advertised over LCD screens," Arroyo said. By the second week of May each year, ASUWT requires STFC to submit a written report that includes the current funding status and important events regarding STFC. "The biggest issue we've been trying to fix is student involvement. Students have the biggest say. It's important for them to have a say," Arroyo said. But how would one go about getting involved with STFC? "Students can submit proposals to request additional technology on campus like laptop computers for checkout, cameras, video equipment, etc. or consider serving as a member of the STFC for the 2010-11 school year," STFC Co-Chair, junior Diane DeFries said in an e-mail. The STFC currently operates under two different processes. The first of these processes are Annual Allocations, which seeks to address the core objectives and new ideas for technology on campus. The second of these processes are Special Allocations, which looks at proposals case by case. This is the first year STFC has had a Special Allocations process and was implemented in case of an emergency regarding technology. "STFC is currently working on the open special allocation process which closes on Mar. 8 as well as the annual allocation process which closes on Mar. 19," DeFries said. During 2009, STFC approved 34 proposals, the most recent being the Satellite Feed Project. Some of these past projects have included expanding technology access for students with disabilities, expanding Mattress Factory wireless and extending open lab hours in WG 108 and CP 005. "Students can either submit individual proposals for technology they would like to see on campus or co-sponsor an application with faculty or staff," DeFries said. If you are interested in what STFC has funded in the past, this information can be viewed online at www.tacoma.washington.edu/studentaffairs/SI/funding_stfc_proposals_2009.cfm. Additionally, if you are interested in viewing either the 2010 Special Allocations Form, or the 2010 Annual Allocations Form, these can be found online at www.tacoma.washington.edu/studentaffairs/SI/funding_stfc_proposals.cfm. Before leaving, STFC co-chair Dan Arroyo would like to see STFC going in a specific direction. "When I first joined STFC, it was a mess. I want to be able to leave with a clean conscience, knowing that money won't be misused and that STFC is moving towards an appropriate direction," Arroyo said. STFC meetings are open to the public and the schedule for meetings and proposal deadlines can be viewed online at www.tacoma.washington.edu/studentaffairs/SI/funding_stfc_meetings.cfm.