“SGA is not a club that exists for its members. It exists to serve the students,” said last week’s editorial by the Pacer staff. While portions of the editorial are questionable, I could not agree more with this particular statement. Though the activities of the Student Government Association encompass a variety of areas, all are done with students in mind.

The members of SGA are students just like you. We don’t pretend to have the magical powers necessary to change the campus overnight; we simply work for students and strive to get student voices heard. Since there is some confusion over exactly what SGA does, the following highlights some of what we are doing this year.

SGA’s greatest accomplishment thus far was the successful lobbying for the inclusion of students in the search process for the next UT President. A student from UTM, Tiffany Trice, is now directly involved in the selection. This should be significant to all students because it shows a change in the mindset of the university’s highest officials. Our Board of Trustees is finally giving students the importance they deserve.

One of our most central roles is lobbying student issues. Senator Laura Harber is presenting one such bill next week regarding the ever-present issue of student parking. We try to gather student concerns through a “Gripe Line”, radio clip on WUTM, and a newsletter (all new this year), as well as by simply talking to students around campus. Senators from each college held informal meetings earlier this year in which students could voice concerns. Another such forum is scheduled for November 12th at 8 pm in the UC. Consider this an invitation to all who have something to say about campus issues.

SGA holds several student events as well. To kick off Homecoming week we sponsored a cook-off competition, bonfire and fireworks display by Pacer Pond. A dinner recognizing all presidents of student organizations will take place in a few months, and Freshman Council is organizing a campus-wide talent show for the spring semester.

Another vital role of SGA is its student presence on University administrative committees. SGA members have input on a wide range of topics, from studying how tuition should be charged to evaluating how your facility fee should be used.

The Pacer has challenged SGA to produce measurable results. These are our results so far. How they measure up is for you to decide.

Jennifer Ogg is SGA president and a senior Political Science major from Martin.