The joke in my family right now is that my sister is the smartest sibling, since she decided to enroll at a university in the Sunshine State, whereas I choose one in the Hoosier State.

Although I envy her and the view she will have of the Atlantic Ocean, I am saddened that she will not have the incredible and unique Butler University experience I had.
These upcoming four years at Butler would truly have been enjoyable for her.

Nevertheless, the past four years have provided me with many memories and life lessons, and I am very excited to see Butler progress.

The changes proposed or those that are already in the process of completion are much needed and will positively transform the university.

The most visible changes that my sister would have experienced are, of course, the construction projects on campus.

The new performance arts complex, the Howard L. Schrott Center, will be a nice venue that I hope will bring in more highly sought speakers.

The proposed parking garage with retail space is also a project my sister would have experienced.

Also, she could have eaten in the renovated Atherton Union dining hall, and maybe even roomed in a modernized residence hall.

But construction projects are not the only changes that are occurring on campus.

The student population has changed over the years, and I think it is necessary for certain changes to take place involving the students.

I remain convinced that the student body should change the Student Government Association and transform the format into a student senate.

Great potential is present for creating a student senate as it would involve all aspects of student organizations on campus.

The student senate would be more efficient and involve student leaders that would be driven to create change on campus, not just attend to be eligible for a student organization grant.

A great amount of research and determined energy would be needed to execute the change effectively, but ultimately it would be a sustainable project serving the Butler student population for years to come.

A majority of our peer institutions already have this format.

Secondly, if my sister should choose to become involved with Greek life on campus, then I would have hoped that she  would involve herself in the much needed changes dealing with the alcohol-related hospitalizations on campus.

I believe that in the upcoming years students associated with Greek life should devote themselves to creating a bottom-up policy dealing with the risks associated with unaccountable drinking.

The debate is always going to be centered on a policy of beer and wine only.

Rather than a decision made by administrators, chapter presidents would benefit the campus more if they were to call a meeting and create their own policy recommendations to better serve the community.

This was attempted a few years ago, but the conversation ran out of momentum.

I hope that this upcoming year, Greek leaders will find it beneficial to create a public discussion on this topic once again.

Overall, I am excited for the changes occurring on campus, and even though my sister will not be attending Butler, I have already begun to convince my younger brother.

The recent attacks on the Student Government Association have taken a turn for the worse.

The criticisms no longer are directed at the students who represent us. Now advisers are being targeted for unwarranted reasons.

The latest assault on SGA leaders and advisers was centered on the Dean of Student Life Irene Stevens for her announcement at assembly on April 4 pertaining to The Collegian’s push for recent election data.

This push has already met defeat in the student assembly. However, the agenda for obtaining the data continues and shows no signs of slowing down.

It does seem to be derailing as it has moved into a disheartening direction.

Targeting the advisers because of the frustrations felt after the failed motion to release the election data causes concern and is  misguided.

The students elected and appointed in SGA must continue seeking advice and have their advisers involved in assembly.

A successful organization thrives on incorporating the voices of many—not an enclosed few.

My three years of involvement in SGA have given me plenty of insight into the functions and actions advisers have performed.

During this time, I know the advisers have never undermined the trust of students.

Not once in the Council on Presidential Affairs meetings, executive committee meetings or student assemblies did an advisor take initiative on a project or make a decision.

The same can be said during the meetings I had with former SGA President Chris Ring, former university President Bobby Fong, former Provost Jamie Comstock and Vice President for Student Affairs Levester Johnson.

Decisions are either made by the student-elected representatives or voted on by the student assembly.

The role of the advisers is to sit in on the meetings, which are chaired and run by the student leader, and help answer any questions that may arise throughout the discussion.

The last thing I wanted when I chaired CPA was to pursue an issue that could take weeks to find an answer, only to come to a dead end.

This would have happened on a number of occasions if my advisers did not give me advice that let me  pursue the situation correctly.

I believe the action of incorporating staff or faculty advisers deserves more use, since student-run organizations would benefit from their guidance.

A student coming into the role of vice president or president has an insignificant amount of experience compared to the combined years of the involved staff advisors.

I would be dumbfounded if I learned one of the SGA officials representing me blatantly ignored advice from Stevens or adviser Caroline Huck-Watson.

Students involved in SGA must pursue advice and guidance when dealing with a $700,000 budget, and the inner workings of Butler University.

I would imagine students, and The Collegian, would be more upset that a budget was presented and went through a process in which the executive committee did not listen to any advisors.

I would also be greatly embarrassed if students elected a president who went rogue  and pursued an agenda in front of the Board of Trustees that would bring disgrace to the student body after dismissing advice from an advisor and the administrators on campus.

I urge President-elect Mike Keller and the student leaders he surrounds himself with to continue including Watson, Stevens, Johnson and any other staffers, administrators or faculty when making decisions that impact the Butler community.

Keller should also continue having them involved in student assembly.

Though outsiders might find themselves frustrated with actions performed by SGA, I caution them before they jump to conclusions.

The right to vote is under attack across our country, and this attack originated in our state.

Beginning in 2008 when the U.S. Supreme Court backed Indiana’s 2005 law that forced voters to show photo identification, thousands of senior citizens, the poor and minority voters have been locked out of casting ballots.

Butler University students have  also been affected because we do not have a state-issued identification card saying that we are residents, since we are enrolled at a private institution. Students at Purdue University or Indiana University could use their student IDs as proof of residency.

This action is keeping college students from voting and registering, and lawmakers should recognize the impact.

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn said that not since the days of Jim Crow has he seen such an organized and direct attack on the voting rights of Americans.

The attack on college students is only occurring in states where conservatives control the governor’s mansion and the legislature, such as in Indiana.

The motivation is part of an effort to restict millions of voters out of a fear that our generation will be more engaged and more informed.

This year there are 64 million eligible young voters, and 90 million will be eligible by 2020. Young voters who turn out to the polls tend to vote for Democrats. In 2008, young students delivered two-thirds of their votes to Barack Obama.

Conservatives will create barriers for voting under the cause of preventing voter fraud. But these laws disenfranchise our generation,  since the laws create many barriers for those registering to vote.

Under Indiana law, each person who registers to vote must state his or her permanent address. But for Butler students, some have permanent addresses out of state while others make their campus address their permanent address. There is no rule on legal residence that applies to all college students, and each case is very different.

Nevertheless, with the May 8 primary right around the corner in Indiana, Butler students should know that if they wanted to vote and are not registered, they are out of luck. They had to register to vote by Monday—29 days before the election.

But I do not blame students for missing the deadline since they had no idea about the law, or they probably thought that they were unable to register to vote in Indiana.

However, they can still register to vote for the general election in November even if they live out of state. A social security number, and an address in Indiana, such as a residence hall, are required to register.

But the confusing part about the voter ID law is that some people might not have an Indiana issued photo identification card. The Butler ID might get students into the Health and Recreation Complex, but it will not allow them to vote. They can either go to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and get a free voter ID card, or they can even bring their passport and use that as a voter identification card when voting.  This is often a misconception.

At this point, college students are confused and frustrated over this process, resulting in low turnout numbers of young people—which is exactly what the conservatives want.

Defenders of this law will say that they are trying to prevent voter fraud. But not only would impersonating other voters one-by-one be an absurd strategy for stealing an entire election, there is already a deterrence for this: five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Sadly, these laws have disenfranchised many college students across the country and on Butler’s campus.