This semester, the Student Association will make new strides to implement changes throughout campus, increase communication and emphasize diversity throughout campus according to President Viqar Hussain.
Hussain said that SA plans to focus on traditional UB issues including transportation, parking, printing and book prices. This semester, however, they will also tackle security.
He also remarked that despite a rough start this fall after a narrow election win and hip-hop artist Cam'Ron's late arrival that delayed Fall Fest, he would not be kept from moving forward.
"It made me realize I had to do to get the job done," he said, explaining that he considered the semester a success as a whole. "We had a landmark semester. We had a lot of events that weren't done before, and we brought a lot of diversity."
This spring, Hussain wants to build on improving communication with UB President John B. Simpson as well as students.
"I want to make sure I ask the students," he said. "Communication is better than what we had before but it is never good enough. At every event we have, we are going to harass them to tell us what they want."
Hussain said that improving student communication and feedback will happen, even if it means SA has to do all the legwork.
"We actually go into classrooms and see if we can borrow five minutes of the teacher's time," he said, to ask how students feel about issues and what they would like to see.
Next to communication, Hussain also placed a special emphasis on diversity.
"Diversity is an overall aspect of what we bring," he said. "In every service, we have to make sure that diversity is integrated. UB is most diverse and we want to hit hard on it."
Hussain also discussed a 20-point list of changes that would improve student life, with some improvements already being made. Changes included extended hours already in place for Capen Library as well as Alumni Arena.
On-campus transportation has been in issue in the past that has improved, but SA is not yet satisfied, Hussain said.
"We are going to do a survey particular (to) parking and transportation," Hussain said.
Most important for Hussain are SA's various clubs and organizations.
"If there were anything that SA needs to focus on it would be clubs, the new online forms and new vehicles making their lives easier," he said.
SA provided its clubs and organizations with better transportation this past fall. Nine new vehicles and one truck have been added to the fleet.
Hussain said that SA is also determined to resolve issues with the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) despite recent setbacks.
The $24 million plan fell through, but we need to make this plan happen," he said.
With a recent increase in thefts on campus, and issues such as bike-path murders, student security is a main concern.
"We try to come up with a student board that is advising the Chief of Police and making this communication happen," Hussain said. "They are here to protect us and we need to make sure that they know how."
SA has also tried to solve the issue of book prices with their own exchange campaign, and wants to further support students' ability to buy cheaper books.
"If they were given the opportunity to buy the same books the bookstore has online," Hussain said, "students could save a lot of money because the book that the bookstore has for $80 they could have for $40."
According to Hussain, a resolution passed this February to increase the iPrint quota for students. SA wants to adapt the quota to the number of credits that students complete.
"We will see how far we can go with the increase, since it depends on the budget we have," Hussain said.
Proud about SA's accomplishments in the fall, Hussain looks positively into the future, with "implementing change" SA's number one priority in the spring.
"If there was one thing that the Student Association does, it's advocating and implementing for change to make a student's life better," he said. "This semester is going to be a historic semester for SA."
