Having committed this paper to a complete analysis of SGA’s activity this year, I have been conducting a review of SGA’s legislative actions and budgetary performance.
    
To give proper weight to both issues, I will first be sharing information on the organization’s recent legislative undertakings. Those of you who are i nterested can look for budget details in next Wednesday’s Beacon.
   
 On to the task at hand.
    
In total, five bills and three resolutions have passed this year’s student senate. Analysis of this legislation should lend some insight into the policy direction of this administration.  
    
My information is based on facts provided directly to me by members of the SGA executive board; I requested a summary of their legislative activity, and read through all of the disclosed meeting minutes reports. I do apologize in advance for the veritable laundry list of information to follow, but I prefer my facts upfront.
    
The first resolution listed on the summary, SEN-01-12: 2010-2011 Student Government Association Accomplishments, was sponsored by Ross Rowland, Courtney Sharp, Drew Shapiro, Todd Skelton and Will Gibbons. This resolution commemorated the leadership contributions and service of last year’s SGA.
    
After the celebratory resolution in April, legislative activity resumed in November. SEN-01-12: Bill to Create an SGA Town Hall, resolved to hold a sponsored meeting for students to interact with administrators. I couldn’t find any information on an SGA town hall meeting in any recent meeting minutes reports, so it is uncertain as of yet when this will occur.
    
To ramp up security on campus, SEN-06-12: Act to Help Facilities Communication of Safety on Campus, was passed on Nov. 8, 2011 as well. This bill calls for a Safety Committee in the Student Services Branch to report safety bulletins on campus. No such committee is listed on the SGA website at this time.
    
SEN-04-12: Evaluation of Academic Advisors was passed on Nov. 8, 2011 as well. Here the senators voted to use the Student Assessment and Instruction System to evaluate advisors and faculty to create public results on TN101. The university administration has also promoted that system, and this was undoubtedly a positive addition to student life.
   
 The SGA passed resolution SEN-03-12: The Extension of Current and Future Campus Bus Routes to Include Fraternity Park, the New Student Health Center, and the Volunteer Boulevard Entrance of TRECS, to state that the bus system should stop at new buildings on campus.
    
SEN-03-12: Laundry Prices Per Load Should Be Reduced called for a reduction in the cost of laundry facilities use, but that action could prove problematic without raising housing fees. Additionally, senate bill SEN 07-12 called for voter registration cards to be added to freshmen move-in packets.
   
 The senate most recently moved to allow university applicants to self-identify as LGBT in SEN-04-12. This resolution split members, garnering 35 supporters along with 16 opponents.
    
And there you have it. Those eight pieces of legislation, coupled with two acts passed by Freshmen Council, represent this year’s SGA activity to date. More legislation will be considered at their meeting this evening.
    
Though I seldom condone the use of lengthy quotes, I feel like it would be apropos at this point to include an excerpt of SGA’s constitutional mission: “to organize and mobilize student involvement in seeking solutions to the serious problems facing the community, the nation, and humankind; and to promote the recognition of students’ rights and responsibilities to the university, the community, and humanity.”
    
Instead of adding my commentary, I’ll await yours.


— Blair Kuykendall is a junior in the College Scholars Program. She can be reached at bkuykend@utk.edu.