Welcome back to WKU, Hilltoppers! As president of the student body, I am incredibly excited for the semester ahead. This spring, the Student Government Association plans to accomplish much on behalf of the WKU community.

We first plan on expanding our current SGA initiatives and starting new ones. MyCampusToo, the diversity enhancement initiative we kicked off last fall, will continue its efforts working extensively with student leaders in the African American, Latino, LGBT and international communities along with others throughout the spring to promote inclusion and belonging for all students.

In April, we look forward to launching a campaign to help end sexual assault at WKU in coordination with It’s On Us, a national movement to change the conversation about sexual assault on college campuses. By working in unison with the Counseling and Testing Center and student organizations across campus, I believe we can make a real difference in ending this pervasive problem.

I am also proud of the incredible work that the SGA Sustainability Committee has undertaken so far to make WKU a more environmentally conscious and safe university. In partnership with the Office of Sustainability, we are planning a spectacular Earth Day celebration. We are in the first steps of moving toward other important goals as well, including campaigning for mental health awareness and reforming university maternity policies for student mothers.

Aside from these initiatives, I also intend to make several administrative reforms so your student leadership can work more effectively to improve your college experience. This semester, I will create the Hilltopper Council, an informal body composed of the leaders of the most influential student organizations on campus. This council will function as a forum where important concerns and issues can be discussed and hopefully shared with the rest of the student body.

I also want to explore our options in tasking a student or group of students with researching the policies and initiatives of other SGAs around the country as they tackle many of the same critical issues we deal with. We need smart, creative solutions to our problems, and learning from the best practices of other student governments can help us find those.

Finally, while they may not get a lot of attention, the Student Body Associations at our regional campuses are vital to effectively serving all students regardless of which campus they attend. Therefore, I intend to strengthen communication and coordination with student leaders at Owensboro, Elizabethtown-Fort Knox and Glasgow, and ultimately move toward a more united student body.

We have a full agenda ahead of us this spring, and we want you to be a part of making it happen. Come to our meetings on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. and listen, ask questions or offer your views on how we can work together to ensure that the years you spend here are some of the best.

By the time elections roll around this spring, I look forward to having helped you leave your mark on the Hill. Go Tops!

– Jay Todd Richey