A few things to focus on

This is it; the semester has come to end. Nothing left to this semester but a couple days of class and a few final exams. For some summer means time off to become a full-time slacker, for others it means internships and summer school, and for our graduating seniors it means that their tenor here at Southern has come to an end. I wish those the best of luck in the real world.
For most of us however, life here at Southern will continue in a few months. So what does the new year mean for us- the Southern community? The question that I pose to our SU community is what do we need to have done this coming year? student visitation is no longer a problem, so what problems, issues and concerns should we the “Enlighten Student Body” apply our voices to?
There are a few things that I have thought are viable issues to focus on for the up coming year. The appearance of Harding Blvd., parking, campus security and the registration process has always been issues at the top of any student’s concerns list. So what can be done? I have spoken on the fact that the student body doesn’t understand the fact that their voice is the most powerful asset held by the students. Your voice means action. So what do we speak on?
My first thought is the appearance of Harden Blvd., which is still not fixed. What is that -two full years now? It is a shame that we have pushed this issue enough to have it addressed. This project that was scheduled to be done in a semester… so much for that idea! Somebody here at the university has to be working with the city on this project, but once again that person simply isn’t getting the job done. So we as the students need to pick up the slack.
Second, is the parking situation on campus. I think that some constancy here would go a long way. I have witnessed where someone parks in the same spot for months and then out of the blue their car is ticketed or towed for being parked in the wrong zone. This is just plain stupid on the part on the traffic department. What is the purpose of random ticketing and towing? Is there no method to the madness? A fine definition of parking zones, ticketing and towing policies should be established.
Third, is campus security. Sorry but the flashlight cops don’t make us feel any safer. It is a waste of their time and our money to have extra witness to the crimes that happen here on campus. Here’s an idea! Why not hire real cops with guns and training to be added to the SUPD force? I thought there were supposed to be foot-patrol officers?! I guess that idea was too much like right. We need to have more officers. Officers that are trained to protect, not people with flashlights standing in
Last is the registration process. Even though registration has come a long way, it is still short of maximizing efficiency. The computers system need not conveniently go down when it is lunchtime. What is the deal with flushing the system on the fourth day of registration? Many students financial aid does not clear by the first week and these students are then left to fight the busy phones and frozen pages of jagcall and jagnet. These are a few issues where change is obtainable but we have to push them.
The student body now has a new SGA president Wayne Haydin—a chosen leader to guide our student body for the next academic year. We have given him the privilege of being the voice of the students, and not just to our administration but to the other HBCU’s around the country. What we must understand is that Haydin is one person, but the power given to his position is given by the students. So we must push him to voice the obtainable things that we need. The process starts with us, so let’s not down play our voices and the things we need to have changed. There will be others that feel that our university will not be the same, but I promise you that if we sweep around our own doorstep then we will surely prove them wrong. We all have the power of our voice, so what will you use your voice for?