Ravi Writes In
As my term nears its completion, I wanted to reflect on the Student Association’s accomplishments over the next semester and write about what our focus will be in the remaining month.
Rice is unique in that students play an integral role in nearly all aspects of life and education on campus. Very few universities afford this same level of freedom and control to their students. Our team came in last spring with the motto “Let’s fix it” — and that we did.
From creating new leadership positions to changing meeting times, we made the SA work for you. Focusing on fostering a campus community beyond the colleges, we created a new umbrella alumni programming group, and brought back the Senior Committee and the Rally Club. We undertook a comprehensive study and campus-wide discussion around what “Rice Education of the Future” should look like, working closely with senior administrators and the Board of Trustees. We allocated over $40,000 dollars in student money to initiatives that directly and sustainably benefit you. On top of it all, we were able have some fun with burritos.
As we look forward to closing out this team’s term strongly, there are a few important projects on our minds. First and foremost, we want to engage and involve as many students as possible in this year’s election process so that your voice can be heard. We are placing a distinct focus on funding — our Blanket Tax Crack Team will unveil overarching proposed changes to how the nearly $400,000 in student fees are allocated each year. Furthermore, we will unveil a new campus-wide programming fund to sustainably support groups like Homecoming, Rally Club and Senior Committee for years to come.
This past year has been a blast, and on behalf of our team, I’d like to thank you for the opportunity we were given to make a difference across campus. Have a great spring semester, make sure to vote to make your voice heard and take advantage of all the great opportunities Rice has to offer!
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