A new Student Government administration has already transitioned into power following the spring elections, but the past year was a highly active time for the previous administration.The 2008-09 school year saw members of both the executive and legislative branches of SG create, follow up and fail on a wide spectrum of policies and programs.One of the first hurdles for former SG President Colorado Robertson and Vice President Shannon Bates to clear was the devastation left after Hurricane Gustav.Robertson volunteered 46 hours during the storm and its aftermath. He worked the command post, helped patients and coordinated with the Emergency Operations Center during his 23-hour lockdown inside the PMAC.Twelve members of his executive staff and at least four confirmed members of the SG Senate joined Robertson.Though the senate’s remaining 35 members did not confirm their participation in the response and recovery efforts, former SG Speaker Ben Clark said he was impressed with the senators who did respond.Once the storm had passed, SG returned to the business of influencing student life.Robertson and his staff successfully pushed for the reinstatement of the “Oh-Wee-Oh” chant at football games in the fall.He conducted intense negotiations with Tiger Band, who wanted to end unsportsmanlike student conduct associated with the chant, and the student body, which has a history of bawdy call-responses during football games.After a successful test run during the Nov. 8 LSU-Alabama game, the chant was reinstated for the season.Another of Robertson’s early successes was pushing Middleton Library’s closing time back from midnight to 2 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday.”That was a pretty big deal,” Robertson said. “We just hope students continue to use it, and we’d like to see the library administrators continue to invest in study space.”Robertson continued to work toward expanded hours and study spaces in the library for the rest of his presidency. In January, students were welcomed back to campus with one of the most rapid project developments in recent University history, the 2009 Class Gift Project. “Most projects like this at LSU take years to get done, but I think Facility Services has helped us out a lot to get something constructed within the first three months,” Robertson said.The project’s development, the transformation of the empty Dodson Auditorium lot, was off the ground less than three months after it was proposed in 2008.The program was approved by the SG Senate and appropriated $70,343 from the SG Initiatives and Surplus accounts for construction. During the course of the semester, the courtyard evolved from a dirty lot into a grassy field lined with bricks honoring members of the Class of 2009. Though the planned student-work days were never realized, the Dodson West Garden will soon be filled with various plants and flowers.The SG Senate voted later in the semester to permanently establish the Class Gift Project as an ongoing University program. A committee was established to oversee the progression of the 2010 Class Gift Project, which has yet to be named.”We want it to be a personal project for 2010,” Bates said. “From landscaping to replacing windows on campus, it’s really whatever they decide.”From the first day the senators met in the Atchafalya Room of the Student Union, the SG Senate was discussing the creation of the Temporary Student Initiatives Committee. The committee oversaw the collection of student ideas on how best to spend $5,000 of student fees. After a few weeks, the ideas were narrowed down to three — more on-campus microwaves, more recycling bins and an automated wait list for computers in Middleton Library.Students were asked to vote on their choice of the three during the spring SG election, and they chose to add more recycling to campus. After the election was finished, the SG Senate established the committee as a permanent program to oversee similar votes in the future.The senate is the opinion making body of SG and was called upon to react to a number of student issues during the semester.The body voted to pass a resolution which spoke out against the Faculty Senate’s proposal to adjust the start time of classes, which was successful in stopping the change.However, on other issues, the senate was less decided. When it came to a vote on how the senate would stand on Louisiana House Bill No. 27, which would allow permit holders to carry concealed handguns, the senate chamber was divided.When debate over two separate resolutions both failed — one in favor, one against — the senate voted only to send the results of a student survey conducted by the SG statistician to the state legislature.In his last official act as president, Robertson vetoed the resolution.”This body could not come to an opinion, and this body develops the official opinion of the University, and it deferred to a poll of only 500 students,” Robertson said.—-Contact Adam Duvernay at [email protected]