This past year’s Student Government was not the Storm that we had expected; it was more like a spring rain shower that left us refreshed, with a new hope and outlook on what Student Government can be. It’s been a year since 1,072 students voted to elect Vance Aloupis president of Student Government. Since his election, Aloupis has grown into a more confident and knowledgeable leader, one who is available when students need him and encompasses what it means to serve students. Aloupis has been highly visible throughout campus during his term, attending a variety of events and making a point of showing SG’s support for the student body and its endeavors.
Probably his most notable accomplishment, Aloupis was able to pull off bringing Napster to students, which was the most ambitious and seemingly least likely campaign promise to fulfill. Depending on whom you ask, some students thought this was a huge success, whereas others saw too many technological glitches and pointed out that several other schools got Napster, too. Almost everyone can agree that either Napster was under promoted or Student Government overestimated the students’ interest in it, since it wasn’t as popular as the Aloupis administration would have liked. It was also a sizeable investment could have been spent elsewhere. Despite the criticisms, Aloupis and his ticket pushed on throughout their term.
Aloupis did not make any egregious mistakes during his term, but while he did make progress on his platforms, some were not achieved. Some of us held higher expectations for this administration, which at times seemed too ho-hum and conformist for our liking. Yet, while some students may not realize it, Aloupis did accomplish many seemingly smaller, but still significant, projects. Among the accomplishments outside of his platform was extended hours of the library, convenience store, and Starbucks during finals. SG also offered its Halloween shuttle to the Grove again, safely transporting 1,600 riders to and from the Grove.
We expect the new Student Government, which was inaugurated on Wednesday, to meet the standard set by Aloupis-and surpass it. Not only will we expect new President Pete Maki to be present at events, but we would also hope his E-board will be just as visible. Furthermore, Maki should be aware from the beginning of his term that he will face obstacles in achieving his sometimes-grandiose ideas. It’s imperative that the new administration take risks and not worry about ruffling a few feathers, as Maki’s term will be judged on whether he can make his plans materialize.
We also expect Senate to legislate in the best interests of the students. Senate is perhaps the most powerful body in SG, which is why this page has been particularly critical of it in the past year. The Senators, led by newly elected Speaker Patricia Escuder, have the potential to directly impact students, and we hope they continue improving and do so for the better.
While the criticism of SG is to be expected, we must say that the improvement in productivity, efficeincy and more importantly in overall attitude, should be commended. It is because of the strong leadership of Aloupis and the rest of SG that we students can be proud to call UM home.
We have been fortunate this past year to have a president who has shown love to this University and its students-bleeding orange and green, as they say. We can only hope that the new executive board, particularly Maki, can keep moving this school and SG forward.