(Note: This is part one of a two-part interview)
James Cortez takes his responsibility as TAMIU Student Body President very seriously, so much so in fact it keeps him up at night.”Well, and the studying,” he says.A biology major with a 4.0 GPA, James sees medical school and eventually politics in his future. He met with The Bridge to discuss a variety of issues pertinent to the student body and the university community.
Herrera: At the last couple of SG meetings, you’ve spoken briefly about textbooks prices. What are you working on there?Cortez: Eliezar Castaneda (SG Vice President) and I met with Dr. Keck (TAMIU President) and Dr. Arenaz (Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs). We just wanted to throw out the idea: If a student has a 3.5 GPA or higher, can they have half-price textbooks? Herrera: As an incentive?Cortez: Yes. I think [Dr. Keck] liked the idea a lot. In fact, he was telling us of possible places where we could actually get the money. He also mentioned the possibility of maybe getting some online textbooks, which would be available for everybody at a cheaper price. Herrera: Is that access to an online library of textbooks like Killam Library’s e-books?Cortez: That’s the impression I received. I know Dr. Keck said he would have Dr. Juan Castillo, Vice President of Finance, research it and see how other institutions handle that…Textbook prices are pretty expensive. You’re trying to get an education. You’re trying to pay for your college and textbooks-it can be a real inconvenience sometimes.Herrera: Student Government is divided by college. You have senators representing each academic college. Is there any data that tells you how much students of different majors spend on textbooks?Cortez: (writing on a sheet of paper) Not that I’m aware of, but it sounds like something really good to look into. You know, I tend to think it would be biology or chemistry that spends the most on books. But I’ve come to learn that political science majors spend a lot-a little small book costs about $250. I would guess right now it’s probably political science or biology. Herrera: As you meet with administrators to try and think this through, are representatives from the bookstore part of the conversation?Cortez: I think the bookstore, really, they just sell the books. It’s a good idea to have them be part of the conversation, but what we’ve been doing as part of the Chancellor’s Student Advisory Board, [CSAB, a system-wide, student-based advisory group] [is] researching the issue, and what seems to be the most immediate solution…was tax-free textbooks. The state would cover the taxes. Herrera: How did that go? I remember you all just came back from the CSAB meeting in College Station. What’s the status on that move?Cortez: Well, we had to discuss the system-wide faculty Excellence in Teaching Awards, and that discussion took up all the time, so we had to table the textbooks discussion. What happened was that two years ago the [tax-free books] idea was brought down, but it never got out of committee. Herrera: You’re referring to the legislature? Cortez: Yes. This is the Texas House. CSAB intends to lobby the House in pushing this thing forward.
While system-wide discussion on the idea of tax-free books is still in progress, Cortez reiterated that the CSAB delegates-representatives of the student body from every A&M branch-devoted the bulk of the Sept. 27-28 meeting to discussing the proposed Excellence in Teaching Awards: a system-wide plan to recognize outstanding faculty. At the Student Senate meeting of Oct. 1, Dr. Minita Ramirez, SG Advisor and Dean of the College of Student Success, stated that TAMIU will not participate in the pilot program this year. Upon elaborating, Ramirez said the program will be open to all faculty members, including adjuncts. The program requires a standardized faculty evaluation form for the entire system. According to the Student Government’s “State of the SG Executive Branch Report #1,” President Cortez was selected to spearhead this project. Regarding the proposed questions for this evaluation form, the report reads, “TAMIU- tremendous influence on the questions submitted through the position of Vice Chair,” which is Cortez’s position on the CSAB. The Executive Branch Report also lists several proposed questions for this form, including the following: “Did your professor empower you as a student through motivation, passion, and charisma?” “Did the professor utilize a student-centered approach in teaching the course?” “Did the professor consider your opinions as a student in approaching the teaching of the course?”
Cortez: It would be a way of finding out which professors throughout the entire system are really exceptional and to recognize them for their efforts in teaching. And the good thing about it is a lot of it is going to be done through the student evaluation. Students at TAMIU can decide if Professor A is one of the best professors in the entire system. And it’s my impression there’s going to be a monetary bonus attached to it. It’s divided between disciplines because there was the concern [that]some disciplines are harder than others. Some faculty had raised that concern. Herrera: Let me play Devil’s advocate. Cortez: Okay. Herrera: Because I’m also a teacher here. And, well, first off, when it comes to student evaluations in general-I heard this when I taught under PASE-there’s this notion that we take them seriously but not that seriously. Grain of salt type, you know. There’s the concern that students don’t have the best perspective-Cortez: Those concerns have been raised throughout this entire discussion, concerns over [whether or not] students have the right tools to be able to judge a professor.Herrera: Do you think they do?Cortez: I think that, at a college level, students can pick up on certain things if you ask the right questions. And that’s the bottom line. How do we make the questions so direct, so substantial, that a student’s response will have a good weight on it? I think any student in college has the ability to make that call. Just to read you an example.(Flipping through the pages of the Executive Report)One of the questions that was submitted [reads], “Did the professor creatively and effectively utilize all classroom materials and time while being economically sensitive to the students?” In other words, did the professor care in choosing the right books at the right prices? Did he spend all class period talking about something unrelated to the class? When the professor starts doing that and gives you a test based on what was supposed to be discussed in the class, that isn’t fair to the student. Students want to learn. That’s why they go to class…If the professor makes you get three textbooks, [and] he only uses one, is that fair? Some professors try their best by using Power Points, putting materials online-Herrera: Leaving stuff on reserve in the library.Cortez: Exactly. I think any student can tell whether the professor utilized classroom time effectively. The students can’t necessarily judge the quality of the material. It’s really hard for students to gauge. Another question [reads], “Did the professor empower you through motivation and charisma?”Herrera: I can think of a lot of professors who wouldn’t like the wording of that. There are-how can I say this? There are generational differences in the way professors view their role in the college classroom. One question mentions the student-centered approach. That’s something-Cortez: I understand the concern and the argument that some professors aren’t as charismatic. You might have professors that people view as dull, but even with those dull professors, students will mostly always pick out some charismatic things. They might not find them funny, but they can still pick up on–Herrera: Are you saying enthusiasm is contagious? And when they love what they’re teaching, it’ll come across?Cortez: Yeah. Ultimately it’s about what the students do. Dr. Mott says that…but at the same time he’s able to back that statement up [by] providing students with all the opportunities they need to succeed. You’re paying to go to school; taxpayers are paying so you can go school. We want to make sure you get the most out of it. So I do sympathize with professors who say it’s what the students put into it, but they can’t use that as an excuse to slack off on their teaching. These questions that you’ve been raising right now, they’re being raised and considered already, believe me. Herrera: We got off the issue of textbooks. Briefly, since it was tabled at CSAB, where does it stand now?Cortez: We’re very hopeful. The UT system has also been working on this, so we hope to get together as two systems, comprising a large number of universities in Texas to show those legislators that we’re serious.
NEXT ISSUE: In part two of this interview, James Cortez discusses Student Government’s voter registration projects, concern over faculty turnover, and what he believes should be SG’s academic role at TAMIU.