As my term as President has come to an end, I look back on the year and am so proud to have been a part of Student Government.

This year Student Government accomplished so much for the organization and for the student body. SGA passed five resolutions and three by-law changes.

The SGA senate helped write new by-laws that will help the organization run smoother and be more productive. The three new by-laws that were added are committee chair qualifications and duties, to clarify budget approval and accounting procedures, and limit the number of excused absences.

In the fall semester SGA passed “A Resolution in Support of the Rights of Non-Smokers.” This resolution has helped show the university the importance of enforcing smoking policies for the health of our faculty, staff and students.

A resolution in opposition to tax-free textbooks was passed to educate the Legislature on other options that would lower the financial burden on text books and that removing book tax would hurt the state and city. A resolution in support of increased funding from the Texas State legislature was also passed.

This resolution stressed the fact the tuition and fees continue to increase so the State needs to continue to increase financial funding for students. A resolution in support of the University of Texas at San Antonio honor code was passed to show the university that it supports the creation and implementation of the honor code.

The last and probably the most important is a resolution in support of adding a library question to the fall 2009 election ballot.

This question will be added to the Fall 2009 SGA ballot and will be used to gather numbers to see if there is support for a new library. Student Government also made a lot of progress on many student concerns and was able to fix some.

One large concern that was accomplished because of all the work in Academic Affairs is the mandating of professors to post their syllabus on WebCT.

Also, an Academic Advising Council will be formed with students to help address advising concerns and issues. With the help of ARAMARK students are now able to rent movies from campus.

Parking and Transportation is now looking at different methods of receiving income for shuttle service besides taxing the student because of the work done by Business Affairs. A Student Bill of Rights committee was formed, had one successful meeting and will continue to meet throughout the following semesters.

SGA helped the College of Engineering form a College Council and will continue to help all colleges form councils.

This year SGA was more civically involved than ever before; we helped UTSA get an early polling site, registered voters, hosted Senator Patrick Kennedy and Ciro Rodriguez, hosted the largest Election Night Watch Party in San Antonio, co-hosted the mayoral debate and made a trip up to Austin to speak to the Legislature about UTSA’s needs.

Student Government worked on many other concerns and will continue to do so until they can be resolved. Besides working on concerns, many senators and officers served on various university committees to be the voice of the student body. SGA will continue to work on concerns and be your voice on campus.

I hope that you will take time to meet the new administration and if you would like to make a difference on campus, I encourage you to join SGA.

It has been my honor and pleasure to serve you as your Student Government president and I wish you the best of luck on your finals and the rest of your UTSA career.

Go Roadrunners!