Letter to the Editor: SGA active at USD
I hope everyone has had a fantastic first few weeks of school! While it has been a busy start of the year, I couldn’t be more excited for what we have in store.
The Student Government Association of USD has been hard at work to make sure this coming year is the best one yet. As the 150th anniversary of our campus, we have already seen a lot done to improve student life and how great our facilities look, such as the Coyote Statue, the Student Memorial, the start of the MUC expansion, and the process of implementing a smoking ban for cleaner air on campus.
Moving to Division I athletics has also proven to be an exciting transition, bringing more students to sporting events and tailgating before the game. SGA has already planned the trip for students to the Northwestern game, and we as a student government have also been working with SDSU’s Student Association to create a fun atmosphere for the USD vs SDSU game this year, and are creating events that we hope will turn into tradition for students to enjoy in years to come.
We aren’t only making campus better, but making South Dakota safer. This year, USD’s Student Government is playing a larger role with the Good Samaritan Alcohol Policy, or GSAP, to protect minors who are aiding another person who needs medical assistance because of too much alcohol consumption. Passing this law through South Dakota legislator would mean a safer community and stronger ties between students and law enforcement.
It has also been great to see exactly how much of campus cares about our University and our community. Since last year’s election had an overwhelming amount of voters (over 2,000, compared to the 1,000 voters the year previous), we have seen an increase in campus activity. It has been great being a part of these student organizations and truly seeing them benefit our community in so many different ways. Seeing as it is an election year, SGA is also excited to work with political groups on campus to help students register to vote!
Big issues are important to us as a student government, which is why we are talking with people on campus and having a “town-hall” meeting about Chic-Fil-A coming to campus. This will be on September 25th at 5:00pm in the Freedom Forum, and we invite anyone to attend!
One thing that has been looked at is freshman involvement on campus. While the first few weeks may be intimidating, it was great to see 17 freshmen apply for the freshman senate seats, and we are excited to welcome two freshmen onto our senate for the year!
We have so many people interested in what we are doing as a Student Government, and this is just a taste of what is going on. If you would like to come to SGA meetings, they are every Tuesday at 6:30 in MUC 212, and we would love to have you come to express your concerns or ideas for the upcoming year!
DJ Smith
Student Body Vice President
