All three branches of Student Government work together to accomplish goals and initiatives, not for us but for the student body. Each branch plays a different role within our organization. Executive staff members focus on their departments, senators work on college-specific goals and the judicial branch works to maintain consistency on internal matters. Sometimes, these initiatives are very visible, like the distribution of Scantrons or the allocation of funding; however, the majority of these are behind-the-scenes initiatives.

I would bet that students today do not know that Student Government was responsible for the creation of 89-numbers, which replaced the use of Social Security numbers on student IDs. Some recent “behind-the-scenes” accomplishments are moving the drop/add date for classes so students have more time to decide if they want to drop a class, advocating changes to meal plans, light walks to assess campus safety, changes to parking and reworking of University software.

As a Student Government, our primary responsibility is to address student concerns and to implement changes that benefit the students of LSU. We wish we could always publicize the legislation we pass, but the fact of the matter is that the majority of our legislation is passed as a stepping-stone to implementing initiatives. And because our legislation is not the end-all be-all for LSU, senators have the responsibility of following up on their legislation to make sure these initiatives are accomplished.

Student Government understands the concerns of students and the concerns presented by The Daily Reveille. The members of Student Government are students, too. Every organization has its drama, and if we were the exception, then we wouldn’t be doing our jobs. It’s our duty to debate the controversial topics affecting student life at LSU. We analyze student issues, debate those issues, and strive to make the best decision for the student body. Student Government fights for every student on this campus, and we will continue to do so through every up and down at this University.

We are constantly trying to find new ways to reach out to the student body. Our offices are in the Union  — Executive branch, room 150; Legislative and Judicial, room 358J. Please come share your thoughts. We’re here for you, and we urge everyone to have his or her voice be heard.