Creating Community and a Leading Edge for Aggies

By Dorian Martin ’06

Texas A&M is well known for providing extensive opportunities for students to step into leadership roles. As the university continues to grow, administrative and student leaders remain committed to ensuring that Aggies can continue to have these experiences.

Many of these opportunities come through student involvement in the Division of Student Affairs organizations, centers, programs and departments. “Providing students with leadership opportunities and giving them the tools and support to help other students solidifies our core values for future generations of Aggies,” said Bill Toler ’76, co-chair of the Student Affairs Development Council.

To that end, the council is committed to listening to student leaders to understand changing needs from these Aggies’ vantage points. For example, council members who attended an Eats and Education gathering at the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year heard from the student body president, the MSC president and the Corps commander about their vision for their respective organization’s success.

These three Aggies came with a unified message. “The singular objective across the board as the university soared to a 76,000 enrollment was connectivity,” explained Melanie Toler ’76, co-chair of the council. “It was the goal to ensure that every student found their place, a home away from home, and that any needed services were readily available. It was their hope that every student would have the great Aggie experience.”

The student leaders’ message deeply resonated with the council members, who acted quickly. The council voted unanimously to distribute approximately $36,000. These funds were awarded to:

- The Don and Ellie Knauss Veteran Resource and Support Center (VRSC). The VRSC is expanding its support to student veterans to include the innovative Veterans Evaluation of Talent Matching Assistance Program (VETMAP). This transition program will assist these Aggies in creating a personal impact plan for their life and career. Each student veteran will receive a custom talent assessment, a one-on-one coaching session, and assistance in creating a map to guide their college planning as well as their transition career decisions. The council’s investment will support 170 student veterans’ use of VETMAP, including purchasing Gallup Strengths access codes, attendance at a conference, and participation in periodic VETMAP group events.

- Department of Disability Resources. Texas A&M’s enrollment growth is increasing the number of Aggies who are tapping Disability Resources’ services. Many of these students use the department’s testing rooms, which are structured to provide an appropriate environment and resources—such as text-to-speech software, Braille or e-text formatted exams, and video magnifiers—so that students with disabilities can complete their exams. The council’s funds are earmarked to purchase adaptive technology to be used in these testing rooms.

- Texas A&M BUILD. This student organization creates Texas Aggie Medical Clinics (TAMCs) from shipping containers and then distributes them to communities in need. For example, a TAMC recently was shipped to Ukraine to serve a community that received considerable damage in the country’s war with Russia. The council’s funding will buy generators and air conditioning units for four clinics.
  
  The group built its first clinic in 2014, which was a Habitat for Humanities’ project. In the nine years since BUILD students have constructed 42 clinics, about four to five annually. The four clinics constructed so far in 2023 went to Nigeria, Ukraine and Dallas to support the VOOM Foundation, Medical Bridges, Downwinders at Risk and Empowering the Masses.This fall BUILD will construct four clinics for five non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and its first Texas Aggie Veterinary Clinic for the South Texas Animal Rescue in Corpus Christi. The NGOs include Medical Bridges in Ukraine, VOOM Foundation in Nigeria, The Gouri Village Project in Chad and Walk With Me/Tying Vines in Turkey.Clinic construction begins in September at the BUILD site, which will be open to all Texas A&M students who wish to volunteer on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

- The 12th Can, Texas A&M’s student-led food pantry, focuses on counteracting increasing levels of food insecurity among students, faculty and staff. Student leaders reported that during the fall 2022 semester, the pantry served the most clients in the organization’s decade-long history. To support this increasing need, 12th Can leaders plan to use funds from the Student Affairs Development Council to purchase supplies, such as food bins, an iPad and a printer.

The council is committed to advancing the division’s mission as the university’s enrollment is expected to climb to 78,000 in Fall 2023.

“The council works alongside the vice president for Student Affairs to help him and his talented and dedicated team of professionals deliver the Aggie experience to as many students as possible,” said Melanie Toler. “The Division of Student Affairs is responsible for a vast array of services for students that help them find success academically and to grow and develop into leaders to serve their communities, state, nation and the world. Working together, we can ensure that future Aggies have the support and experiences that not only deepen their college experience, but also set them apart professionally and personally after graduation.”

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Creating Community and a Leading Edge for Aggies

Creating Community and a Leading Edge for Aggies

The Division of Student Affairs Development Council works to ensure that every Aggie finds a home away from home in Aggieland.