Current and new members of the Bilingual Education Student Organization (B.E.S.O) have agreed to change their membership GPA to 2.5 and sign-up fee to $50.
Officers met on Sept. 13 to approve the two changes they say will benefit members and put them on a path to success. Leaders said the changes will motivate them to succeed, and encourage other students with the same passion for bilingual education to join the student organization.
During their first meeting with the officers, members agreed to change the GPA requirements from 2.0 to 2.5 and a mandatory sign-up fee from $40 to $50.
Genesis Segura, bilingual generalist EC-6 major and president of B.E.S.O, said the decision to change the GPA was to stand out from all the other organizations at Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
“We want B.E.S.O to have the best of the best students. It’s to motivate you to do better,” she said.
The minimum GPA acceptance is 2.0 for most organizations on campus.
B.E.S.O provides information, assistance and unity among the bilingual education students to expand social and professional growth.
“We want to provide our members with resources to raise their overall GPA,” said Alejandra Peña, political science major and secretary of B.E.S.O. “This is not meant to hurt or keep anyone out from joining the organization,” Peña said.
Segura said students who join receive more than just support from the members. They get to attend state and national conferences where members present to teachers.
“We are taking members from B.E.S.O to other conferences like Texas Association for Bilingual Education (TABE ) and National Association for Bilingual Education, NABE. There’s a true goal that we want to go to, which is going to those conferences. In the long run, they will help you as an educator,” said Valeria Cazares, bilingual generalist EC-6 major and treasurer of B.E.S.O.
“It’s amazing because in those conferences you have so many school districts and you get your name out there,” Segura said. “Last semester I was able to present to the teachers it was pretty amazing, being able to educate educators that I look up to was amazing,” she said.
B.E.S.O has been invited to NABE next semester to present in Florida.
“That’s the biggest bilingual conference in the country. That speaks highly of the organization of what we do,” Peña said. “It’s not just another organization or another club, we want to make a difference for our students.”
To become a member, students are not required to be an education major they can sign up any time in the year. Officers recommend that students join early to get all the benefits that the organization has to offer.
Officers also discussed what they have planned for Fall Fest where they will sell aguas frescas to raise money for their upcoming conferences.
B.E.S.O will hold their next meeting on Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. The location has not been determined.
For more information on joining B.E.S.O. go to JagSync or add them on Facebook.
