Our Fees, Our Voice.

Over the past few months, UH admins silenced our voice repeatedly and offered little transparency on many issues involving the representation of students. UH Admin dissolved the Student Government Association (SGA), postponed our Fall elections, and illegally installed more than half of the student members ( 3 out of 5) meant to represent students on the Student Fees Advisory Committee (SFAC), the committee responsible for recommending fee rates and allocations of over $25 million in our student fees each year from the student service fee.

Instead of allowing students to elect their representatives, UH administrators opted for 60% (3 out 5) of our representation on SFAC to be appointed through means other than an election, directly violating state law (Texas Education Code Section 54.5062). The state law, made in 1991, mandated elections to fill term expired vacancies left on the SFAC. This power grab has stripped us students of our rightful voice in deciding who decides how our money is spent.

Every full-time UH student pays $260 each semester into the Student Service Fee. That money funds essential services like counseling, transportation, student organizations, and campus resources. But today, only 2 of the 9 voting SFAC members were approved by students, meaning a majority of those on SFAC are people we didn't have any hand in choosing.

While we’re struggling with rising costs of food and housing, high parking and tuition rates, and underfunded student resources, we’re being forced to fund a system where our input through elections is seen as optional. Even when the student regent and the two student approved SFAC members raised concerns, they were dismissed.

This is untransparent, illegal, and unacceptable. There must be accountability. We demand that the University of Houston:

1. Immediately reverse the illegal appointments of the three newest members of the Student Fees Advisory Committee.

2. Hold lawful, state-compliant elections to fill all SFAC vacancies, ensuring that students - not administrators - choose their representatives.

3. Ensure University wide communication on all updates, presentation schedules, future appointment processes, and notices in relation to our SFAC through university wide email and Division of Student Affairs marketing.
   

4. Increase the public comment period during SFAC presentations to at least 1 hour, instead of 10 minutes.

UH’s motto is “In Time, We’ll Do Great Things.”

Great things don't happen when 60% of our student representation on SFAC gets their behind students' back. Great things don’t happen when student voices are silenced and our fees write millions in discretionary funding that we can't get external audits on. Great things happen instead when administration and students stand together and agree to fairness, integrity, transparency, and democracy to make great things happen.

Sign this petition to restore student representation at UH — and take back our voice.