With the fall semester in the books, Student Government at the University of Dallas is looking to build on last year’s accomplishments and do their utmost to address student concerns.
Luke Enriquez, senior politics major and president of SG, said, “The biggest success that we’ve had has been centralizing Student Government by our presence on campus a lot more known and accessible than it has been in the past.”
Last semester’s highlights included weekly Sunday Sundaes, extending gym hours in the Maher Athletic Center, sponsoring a hot dog eating contest for Charity Week, and much more. Also of note was the staffing of the SMU vs. TCU football game, in which over $1,600 was raised.
Emmanuel Barajas, senior English major and vice president of SG, said, “[It] was a blast. This also marked the first time SG ever made money instead of spending it.”
Another big accomplishment was the launching of the SG Newsletter.
Lauren Baugh, freshman business major, secretary pro-tempore for SG, manager of marketing/social media for SG, and administrative functions committee chair, said, “The first ever SG Newsletter was a big achievement for not only myself, but also Student Government as a whole. The goal of the Newsletter is to inform the staff and student body of the past accomplishments, the things we are currently working on and our future aspirations. I feel that it is important to keep the UD student body informed because we are representatives of them. Additionally, we get asked what SG does quite often so this is a great way to answer those questions. Our second and third Newsletters should be set to come out in early March and late April.”
Even with the success of last semester’s accomplishments, SG continues to keep the ball rolling. Already, SG was recently able to extend Capp Bar hours by 30 minutes in the morning, thanks to Emma Alexander, freshman business and pre-law double major and Crusader Outreach Committee head and Noah Gulick, freshman politics major and Student Concerns Committee head. SG hopes to keep up its trend of successes, with many goals in mind for this semester.
Enriquez said, “I would like to spend the rest, if not the entirety of our SG budget, to show we’ve spent every dime towards the student body. I would like to get involved with more athletics this semester. Last year, there was food for some of the games and some halftime prizes, as well as more involvement with the seminarians. We’ve done Holy Smokes in the past, and that’s usually an end of the semester event. But we could try to facilitate another event hosted by SG.”
Of note, SG is also heavily focused on addressing the new smoking policy and eating outside of the Haggar Cafe.
“I am interested in finding the middle ground that would make both the administrators and the student body happy,” said Enriquez.
In keeping with last semester’s goals, SG is also looking to extend gym hours to midnight Monday through Thursday.
Fernando Vian, senior politics major and secretary of SG, said, “Extending gym hours was the second most common request we’d receive last year in the Student Concerns committee, and I think it’s an amazing way to help students live out the values we espouse at UD.”
As far as events are concerned, SG will be hosting a Mardi Gras Crawfish Boil on Friday, Feb. 21.
“I am excited about the UDSG Mardi Gras Crawfish Boil!” said Alexander. “From now on, this will be an annual event for the weeks after Groundhog and before Spring Formal.”
As always, SG is motivated to attend to student concerns and to do their best to strengthen campus life.
“The most fulfilling part of my job is seeing events come together and having people enjoy themselves!” said Alexander. “Everything we do in SG is for our fellow students, so seeing the fruit of our labor and the joy in everyone at our events is really fulfilling!”
“I have the opportunity to get to know so many people through our events and connect with people in unique ways,” said Baugh. “People come to me with their wants and needs, and I actually get to work to the best of my ability to fulfill those wants and needs through SG.”
SG looks to continue gaining momentum, and its president promises ending the semester on a high note.
“Consider running for the Executive Council and be on the lookout for really cool SG news in the future,” said Enriquez. “Big things are coming, and you can bet your last dollar that I’ll be going out with a bang.”