Welcome back!
As the semester starts to get back into full gear, many students have a lot on their minds, ranging from classes to on-campus events. Seniors are thinking about graduation while other undergraduate students are thinking about their futures at the university and how they are going to leave their mark. The Student Government Association, however, is thinking about picking up right where it left off and making sure goals are reached and the student voice is heard.
With the start of the spring semester, our work in Annapolis steadily picks up. Since the newly elected legislature went back into session about two weeks ago, the SGA has been working with state representatives to ensure student concerns and university issues are at the top of their list. Our top priorities in Annapolis include addressing the budget shortfall and the projected tuition increase, as well as starting a dialogue about open-source textbooks. Gov. Martin O’Malley is expected to submit his final budget at the end of the month, which will define both the budget allocations for the university and the tuition level for next year.
At the university level, we are still working with administration and University Police to bring forth a Good Samaritan policy. At this time, the Promoting Responsible Action in Medical Emergencies protocol still remains, but the University Senate is still looking into the impacts of a stronger comprehensive policy. We are excited that university President Wallace Loh has expressed support for a full policy and look forward to developing one in the near future. Additionally, with basketball season in full swing, big games are coming our way. The men’s team faces Duke on Feb. 2. The SGA has teamed with the Athletics Department to make sure the night of the game is a safe night for students. Another top priority for the semester is to continue toward implementing a Dean’s Student Advisory Committee for every college.
In addition to advocating for student interests in Annapolis and to the university administration, the SGA will provide the student body with many events and opportunities. We have a handful of events being planned; among them are several more installments of the SGA/Alumni Association Speaker Series, our annual zero-waste Spring BBQ and the Multicultural Expo in April. We will also be hosting another Keep Me Maryland drive this semester, so make sure to donate your dining points to help keep your fellow students stay at the university. The SGA finance committee will also be hard at work to ensure the primary allocation process for all student groups is clear and fair. We always encourage student group leaders to use us as a resource to guide them through the budget process, so do not hesitate to ask for help.
As we go forth with what we have planned to work on, we would still like to hear from you. We will soon be introducing a new site layout at www.sga.umd.edu that is more user-friendly and interactive, so use this as a guide to both keep up with what we’re doing and to contact your representatives. Be sure to friend and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UMDSGA, so that we can keep everyone informed of both university and SGA events. Most importantly, do not be afraid to contact your representatives — we want to hear from you! On behalf of the SGA, I wish all of you the best of luck in your classes this spring! Go Terps!
Steve Glickman is the Student Government Association president. He can be reached at SGAPresident at umd dot edu.
