While many University students return to campus, one group has worked all summer to ensure everyone’s return and the subsequent school year goes exceptionally well.
LSU Student Government has been working throughout the summer on a number of projects scheduled to roll out when students’ arrive back to campus, which included hosting the 2017 SEC Exchange on campus late July.
“We had track meetings [and] each track was divided by a department or a category,” said SG President Jason Badeaux. “Anything from health and wellness to external student government. We worked together to exchange ideas and take things from other campuses and implement them [at LSU.]”
Former and current SG senior advisers to Vice Presidents Katherine Lantier and Camille Faircloth, respectively, planned the event, which saw all 14 member institutions convene on the University’s campus, a feat which has not been accomplished in many years, Badeaux said.
One decision made at the Exchange is the creation of an SEC-wide federal Higher Education Report Card, using similar criteria to the LSU Student Government Higher Education Report Card.
The University’s HERC is an annual look at statistics with a goal of “[holding] our lawmakers accountable for their votes during … legislative sessions to ensure access to affordable, high quality public education in the state of Louisiana,” according to the HERC website.
“That’s something that we’re all working together … and trying to put together some pertinent legislation on the federal level and push it out on a much larger scale,” Badeaux said.
One initiative rolling out this semester which directly impacts the University is LSU Local, a partnership between the University and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.
In addition to connecting University students to outside internships and career opportunities in the Baton Rouge area, LSU Local’s web page, which will launch as a tab on SG’s website, will feature listings for local events going on in the area.
“I think what’s important to break the LSU bubble is not only connect [students] career-wise and professionally, but to make [students] feel at home,” Badeaux said. “[We] understand that there are things that go on in Baton Rouge that we may not see because we’re not connected to it.”
SG Vice President Leah Sanders said it was the students’ feedback about not feeling connected to the Baton Rouge community that prompted the creation of this service.
Students looking to get involved on campus can also submit applications for one of the open spots on SG this year through their website. 
A final initiative slated to hit campus Aug. 28 is campus-wide online access to the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times for every student, faculty and staff member. This initiative, which was introduced in spring, will also include print access to The Advocate around campus.