UTEP Student Government Association Receives $10,000 from UT System Board of Regents for Aug. 3 Tragedy Relief Efforts
Last Updated on September 16, 2019 at 12:00 AM
Originally published September 16, 2019
By Jesse Martinez
UTEP Communications
Inspired by the response of The University of Texas at El Paso community and the city to the Aug. 3, 2019, shooting in El Paso, The University of Texas System Board of Regents presented the UTEP Student Government Association with $10,000 to assist with relief efforts.
Members of the SGA met with UTEP President Heather Wilson and UT System Student Regent Daniel Dominguez at a check presentation Monday, Sept. 16, 2019, at the UTEP Union Dinner Theatre patio. President Wilson expressed her gratitude not only to the Regents but to students and the community for their actions following the tragedy.
“As we mourn for the victims and their families, we find strength through support from friends near and far,” President Wilson said. “UTEP and our students are of this community, and for nearly 400 years, generations of families in this community have shared lessons in strength and love and welcome. I’m very proud of the countless ways in which our students and this greater campus community have responded to the events of Aug. 3. They’ve joined together to support not only the families of the victims and our first responders but also each other – strangers and newcomers and longtime friends.”
SGA President Jessica Martinez said the gift was a testament to the Regents’ commitment to UTEP students. Martinez said SGA is planning to use a portion of the money to host an appreciation event in honor of the first responders who provided aid to victims.
“This generous gift will allow the SGA to help so many people and we deeply thank you,” Martinez said. “All of us in the Student Government Association have been moved by the hard work of our first responders both on that day and throughout our community’s recovery.”
Dominguez said the Board of Regents recognized the community for its immediate response, its strength and its ability to rise above violence and discrimination.
“(Chairman Kevin P. Eltife) praised UTEP’s students, faculty and staff for their efforts in support of fellow citizens and commended the campus for its outpouring of assistance to the community and especially to students who might be in crisis as a result of events on that day,” Dominguez said.
Martinez said any remaining funds will be allocated to the El Paso Community Foundation to support their ongoing efforts to aid victims, families and survivors. Details about the appreciation event will be announced at a later date.
