When this year’s Student Government Association members took office last May, we faced a number of significant challenges: a new internal structure, a majority of first-time legislators and a budget crisis. But thanks to focused leadership, teamwork and dedication, we have much to be proud of.
This year, we affected positive and tangible change for your university. Through collaboration with Dining Services and the Maryland Fund for Excellence, we coordinated over 1,100 students to donate more than $22,000 for the Keep Me Maryland Fund. These results are indicative of your spirit as a university student: When given the opportunity, we rally to help our peers.
Under my leadership, we helped save the Wooded Hillock. We protected your right to free speech on the campus. We provided relevant and engaging programming, including the inaugural SGA and Alumni Association Speaker Series. And more recently, we advocated to allow students the right to study abroad within their last 30 credits.
Despite these successes, we still face many challenges. While visiting Annapolis over 40 times this year, I was able to meet with and testify before state lawmakers about maintaining the quality of education at our university. These are relationships that I will continue to nurture so that, in next year’s legislative session, Maryland students have a stronger foothold than ever.
But beyond that, I also understood the importance of enabling all students to lobby Annapolis. My administration organized a letter-writing campaign of more than 7,000 e-mails across the state. Through increased advertising and encouragement, our annual Terrapin Pride Day swelled to more than double the number of student lobbyists than the year before.
In the end, our university was spared heavy cuts to our budget. But with another looming billion-dollar deficit, we will surely face similar challenges next year.
With the search for a new university president underway, it is more important than ever for students to have stable representation and leadership. We have a unique opportunity to mold a university-student relationship that will continue long after we’re gone. But for this endeavor to be successful, we need student leaders who already understand the system, who have already formed the key relationships and who have already demonstrated an unwavering commitment to our university.
Each year, SGA presidents face a sizable learning curve. But with a rare opportunity such as our new university president, the cost of untested student leadership is too great.
Your Party consists of experienced, dedicated individuals who have already made an impact on at this university. I invite you to review our website, www.yourumd.com, to see who your candidates are.
On April 20 and 21, help make Maryland yours by casting your vote for Your Party.
Only Your Party has the experience necessary to lead this university next year. We will face high hurdles, but together we will make administrators and state officials recognize one truth: This university is not theirs. It’s Yours.
Steve Glickman is the current SGA president and is running for reelection. He can be reached at steveg at umd dot edu.
