Patriot Weekly

  (Logo. Source: Student Government Association at UT-Tyler.) UT-Tyler students approved a proposal to increase the mandatory Intercollegiate Athletics Fee last week 53.04% to 46.96%, with a voter turnout of 937 voters. The referendum saw the second largest turnout for a student election in nearly a decade, coming just shy of fall 2021’s student election   of 1,106, which was  over a previous athletics fee increase proposal. Neither Vice President for Athletics Howard Patterson nor Student Body President Chloe Dix responded to requests for comment by the time of this article’s publication. Dix’s association, student government, facilitated the election. According to the proposal, students’ maximum semester payment for the Intercollegiate Athletics Fee will now increase by $90 and install in roughly $30 increments over the next three years. Minimum semester payments will also go up, from $96 now to $132 in fall 2026. The athletics department ran in favor of a fee inc...

  ( Photo courtesy of Allison Schwartz )  Student voters elected Alison Schwartz to student body president in last week’s student government officer election. Students chose Schwartz over opponent Robert Carnes III 69.01 % to 28.38% with 881 turnout, the largest turnout for an SGA officer election since spring 2019. Schwartz also received the most votes for a student body president on SGA’s digital record, surpassing Landry Smith’s 555 votes in spring 2022. Schwartz told Patriot Weekly Tuesday, “I am very grateful for the opportunity to lead Student Government next year. I look forward to working closely with the new [University] president as well as many faculty members. I hope to focus on making some great changes in the coming year." Carnes declined to comment. Schwartz ran on a platform to facilitate a strong relationship between Greek Life and Athletics, to "create a strong connection between faculty and students" and to "facilitate more events for stu...

  (Source: "Dayton 06-20 19 38 - Dayton Police Department Police Car" by David Ellis, via Flickr) Recent crime reports for UT-Tyler's main campus according to UTTPD's Daily Crime Log. ·   Burglary of a Vehicle, 3/24/24 between 12:15 a.m. and 12:35 p.m., Victory Village Parking Lot, Closed ·   Burglary of a Vehicle, between 3/23/24 8 p.m. and 3/25/24 8:50 a.m., Victory Village Parking Lot, Closed ·   Burglary of a Vehicle, between 3/23/24 8 p.m. and 3/25/24 3:40 p.m., The Foundry Parking Lot, Closed ·   Sexual Assault, 3/23/24, The Foundry Apartments, Open ·   Burglary of a Vehicle, between 3/23/24 12:30 a.m. and 3/24/24 11:30 a.m., Victory Village Parking Lot, Closed ·   Criminal Mischief, 3/22/24, University Pines Apartments, Closed ·   Dating Violence, Harassment, between 3/20/24 and 3/21/24, Liberty Landing Apartments, Criminal Trespass Warning, Title IX Referral ·   Minor in Possession of Tobacco / Tobacco Products, 3/19/2...

  View PDF here. 

  (Logo. Source: Student Government Association at UT-Tyler.) The Student Government Association (SGA) will hold its annual spring officer elections this week from March 20 at 12:00 a.m. to March 22 at 5 p.m. The ballot also includes a referendum on a proposal to increase the mandatory Intercollegiate Athletics Fee. Students can vote via a link SGA will send to their patriot email Wednesday at midnight. Student body president is the only contested race among student government officers. The two candidates are SGA Vice-President Ronald Carnes III and current SGA Honors College Senator Allison Schwartz. Other registered officer candidates are Syed Ahmed for vice-president, Eliza Mercado for SGA treasurer, Dane Adams for SGA secretary. The student body president is an official UT-Tyler student body representative to university administration. The president also appoints students to various student oversight committees, such as The Student Fee Advisory Committee, and presides over stu...

  ( Photo courtesy of Allison Schwartz )  Patriot Weekly submitted the following questions to the student body president candidates and is grateful for their responses. Question: Why did you decide to run for student body president? Allison Schwartz: I decided to run for President because I feel as though I can become a good connection between faculty, and students. I am passionate about making the UT Tyler experience as great as possible for UT Tyler students. If I am elected, I feel as though I can create a better overall experience for the student population. What do you hope to accomplish if elected? I hope to accomplish several things if I am elected. First, I hope to create a strong connection between students and faculty. Second, I hope to facilitate a strong relationship between Greek Life and Athletics. I would love to see more partnered events between the two largest groups on campus. Third, I hope to facilitate more events on campus. I have heard the opinions ...

( Photo courtesy of Robert Carnes III )  Patriot Weekly submitted the following questions to the student body president candidates and is grateful for their responses. Question: Why did you decide to run for student body president? Ronald Carnes, III (paraphrased): There are a few reasons. I want to ensure student government has a good relationship with the administration because students can voice their concerns a lot better when both administration and student government have a good relationship. I want to make sure students understand the benefits they have available to them because of the fees that are being charged to us. I want to make sure they get the most of [their experience?] given what they are paying for. There are many benefits that students have that they are paying for that they don’t know about or take advantage of. I want to bring school spirit back after the pandemic. The college life experience has been different and I want to help bring that aspect back t...

  ("Money - Savings" by 401(K) - 2012 via Flickr) What is the student vote happening from March 20 to March 22? There is a proposal to increase the mandatory Intercollegiate Athletics Fee on the student ballot for the March 20 to March 22 spring 2024 election. There is also an election for student government executive officers.   Why is the athletics program seeking a fee increase? The athletics program is asking the student body to take financial responsibility for its unexpected NCAA Division II expenses after it transitioned to NCAA Division II at the University’s direction without the available funds in 2018. The proposed fee increase is to transfer the financial responsibility to students so the University can spend its current $2.4 million annual subsidy to the athletics program on other priorities. ( Patriot Weekly’s summary.) Why did the athletics program transition to NCAA Division II without a financial plan? Allegedly, the decision to transition the program fro...

    (Source: "Dayton 06-20 19 38 - Dayton Police Department Police Car" by David Ellis, via Flickr) Recent crime reports for UT-Tyler's main campus according to UTTPD's Daily Crime Log. ·   Criminal Mischief, 3/12/24, Patriot Village, Open ·   Credit / Debit Card Abuse, 3/3/27, The Foundry Apartments, Open ·   Driving While Intoxicated, 3/1/24, Parking Lot 6, Criminal Arrest * NOTE: The Daily Crime Log is publicly available in compliance with The Jeane Clery Act, a federal law that requires colleges and universities to report campus crime data.