As the last of the campaigning materials clear from campus and Student Government election season draws to a close, so does the Student Senate. The senate’s last meeting will take place tonight at 7:30, and afterward we’ll welcome in the senators and officials that you’ve elected for next year. The Senate Adjournment Sine Die Bill will make the end of the session official and also recount the various activities and actions Student Government has made on your behalf.

This year we’ve fought to keep University traditions alive, creating and distributing the Top 54 Deck of Cards listing the essential traditions that make up the experience of a student here. We’ve brought people together, whether that be at the games, by increasing student ticketing, or by fundraising for a cause out on the Brickyard during Shack-a-Thon. At the same time, we make efforts on the student’s behalf, such as running the largest Campout in the University’s history and proving that we do more than just keep traditions alive, but expand them through hard work into new territory.

As every student on campus feels both the strain of the economy and the worries that accompany not knowing what the future holds, Student Government works to make your voice heard to the administration and shows that by cooperating together, we really can accomplish great things. We’re implementing a plan to improve academic advising so that our students can graduate on time and get the classes they need to further their education here at N.C. State. Student Government will be working with the administration next year more than ever to make the voice of the students heard. Simultaneously, we’ve cleared the way and helped students lift up their own voices and chase their passions by distributing more than $160,000 to over 300 student organizations on campus. Student Government funds events, trips and volunteer work that would never be possible without our assistance.

At the end of the day, Student Government exists not as an abstract concept, but as each of the student voices we make heard, the 300 clubs that we make possible each year and the more than 60 senators working on your behalf. Look on the Student Government website to see the year in review. I know that our elected students understand Student Government means more than just making campaign promises. In the words of former North Carolina Governor Hunt, I know that our leaders “run for the right reasons, and that’s to help people.”  We look forward to helping and working alongside every student next year in their journey to academic success, because when it comes down to it, we’re students too and Student Government stands for you.