1. Ensure fair, honest, clean student government elections.
Last year’s SG elections were a political nightmare, with eventual winner Andrew Learned handing out tickets to Tampa Bay Storm games along with candy. He also had a controversial campaign speech that made many promises ‘- few of which were kept. Strong ethical rules need to be in place well before the elections start, and allow candidates to run longer campaigns.
2. Allow longer library hours.
We called for this last semester, but nothing happened. Please, UT, give this school a semblance of an educational institution and don’t black out the library at midnight. That one hour at finals week isn’t all that great, either.
3. Create innovative events.
Seeing the latest movie on a Friday night in Reeves is great (well, sort of), but how about something different? Maybe throwback Thursdays, or old school Mondays, where films from the 50s and 60s are shown late at night (think: midnight or later). Or maybe someone could host an outdoor Olympics on the newly re-done soccer field, if athletics will break their death-grip on the venue.
4. Freeze tuition (including reasonable housing costs).
Wallets are getting lighter and belts tighter, and the last place anyone needs to get hit is with a tuition or housing raise. Paychecks are slimmer and the prospects of credit are slimmer, and adding another 2-3 percent to our annual bills will be devastating for some.
5. Make Thomas garage for commuters only.
Why do residents need to park next to their dorms when commuters have to hike across campus for their classes? Residents already have the luxury of a shorter walk to class and have no need to park next to their rooms. After taking away all on-campus parking for commuters, this is the very least UT can do to show some respect to off-campus residents.
6. Hire a student advocate.
Students should have someone to turn to when they have a problem ‘- with a professor, a fellow student, an administrator, or anyone. Right now there is no official who will stand up for a student to those in power, and there needs to be one.
7. Reform the bookstore.
It’s the usual complaints: prices are too high, quality is too low. But the fact remains that the textbook business is a racket. Compounding this problem is the bookstore’s unwillingness to answer questions asked months ago during a Minaret investigation.’ If Barnes and Noble is going to have a campus monopoly, they should be proactive for the student, not the profit.
8. Make e-mail reliable.
Oh how we long for the days when our e-mails worked. POP access is available to students again, but the SPAM filter is outdated and blocks random content. The Minaret has requested guidelines for avoiding the SPAM filter on multiple occasions, but has received no answer.
9. Pack home games.
This one is on the students: show up to the basketball, baseball, tennis and other sporting events. Go to concerts and plays. Immerse yourself in UT culture.
10. Guarantee a good spring concert.
The weight is on SP to outdo last year’s Yellowcard concert, which should be easy to do because Yellowcard was relevant when a majority of UT students were 16 or younger. Book a modern, interesting act. SP has the largest on-campus budget, and drops a ton of cash on this concert.
We hope it’s worth it this year.
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