You elected five new student body officers on Nov. 9, 2004. Did you vote for them because they were your friends? Or did you vote for them because you believed in their campaign? I hope your reason was the latter.2005 is going to be a progressive and exciting year for the Student Government Association and TCU as a whole. We have hit the ground running with initiatives that will create tangible improvements for the whole student body.
One of the first changes we plan to make concerns funding. Over the course of this academic year, SGA will give away a little more than $42,700 to different student organizations for their programs, conferences, conventions and other projects. With the current system, it is nearly impossible to allocate this money fairly. To fix these problems, SGA has established the new Activities Funding Program, which I want to invite you, the student body of TCU, to be a part of so that funding can best serve you. We invite you to join the new program by filling out an application at (sga.tcu.edu).
Our plans for the year extend past just SGA. We want to be effective in making TCU a better place for all students. That’s why the Academic Affairs committee of the House will continue to find ways to improve academic advising. Some suggestions have been to establish a peer advising program and hiring professional advisers. We want to ensure that no student has to graduate late or unsatisfied because of poor advising.
These are exciting times because of more than just the behind-the-scenes improvements we are working for. This fall the Board of Trustees approved the first steps toward building a new Student Center, a new residence hall and a parking garage. Students are represented in each of these projects to make sure that your interests are not forgotten. Within a few weeks you will find new ways to give us feedback on these projects. SGA will continue to work so that the student body’s needs for these new buildings are considered throughout the planning and construction stages.
As you can see, we have started this new year with a lot of ambition and energy. I am confident that with the hard work of all members of SGA and your help and input, we can succeed in our goals. And if you ever have anything that you want SGA to address, you may e-mail ([email protected]).
Student Body President Dave Watson is a junior entrepreneurial management major from Lincoln, Neb.
