The Student Government Association Senate saw a changing of the guard Tuesday night in full fanfare, with UH President Renu Khator and the Cougar Brass, along with other University administrators and professors in attendance. The departing senators said goodbye, and the newly-elected senators got a taste of what’s to come.
Although The Daily Cougar editorial board and the SGA officers don’t always see eye to eye on how best to improve our University, we’ll take our turn to say we respect and applaud the governing body’s efforts during the past year to change students’ lives for the better.
The 44th administration has been the most active and effective SGA Senate in recent UH memory, keeping its eyes open and ears to the ground for the problems students face every day – unjust fees, rising tuition and educational obstacles. They’ve ruffled feathers along the way, but often that’s what it takes to make the people in power question the status quo.
The incoming senators have big shoes to fill, but they’ve started strong with vigorous campaigns that drew out more than 3,000 student votes. We hope to see this enthusiasm and dedication continue as senators start tackling the many issues still facing the student body, from PeopleSoft woes and school concerns to student resources.
The Daily Cougar will be following along every step of the way, and we hope to see our pages plastered with success after success in the interest of the student body – though that’s not to say we won’t be watching new ideas and policies with a critical eye (they know we have and will).
But at the end of the day, both of our organizations are working to improve the academic and personal lives of the students who call the University of Houston home. We can’t wait to see what new campaigns and causes emerge in the coming year, and we can’t wait to share them with the rest of you.
We encourage the new Senate to keep in touch with the student body and, of course, return calls from Cougar reporters. To the student body, reach out to your senators and let them know what they can do to serve our University. A good first step is to meet them at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the University Center, Mediterranean Room for the first session of the new administration.
And to the senators, good luck. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.
