The Saint Louis University Student Government Association plans to make housing one of its first priorities this academic year, according to President Jay Perry.

“The housing problem of crowding has been going on for a few years,” Perry said. “It was simply this year that the problem became even more noticeable.”

According to Perry, the housing initiative will probably be the primary thing brought to the SGA agenda.

The first step is to appoint a committee with Fr. Biondi.

Perry said he is confident that something has to be done this year to solve the housing crisis for future years.

Perry also said he is concerned about the quality of life for students that end up living in spaces which were not built to be dorm rooms, such as former offices in Walsh Hall and chapter rooms in DeMattias.

Another big issue is funding. Perry said, “I will fight my hardest to improve the way we allocate funds.”

Perry said that he will the show the student body what an increase in the student activity fee will do for them.

He said SLU’s fee is low compared to other schools, but that any decision to raise the funds would involve the students’ input.

“If students want to see big names, even bigger than the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the fee will have to be raised,” Perry said.

Perry said he can understand students not liking a raise in the student activity fee especially with the cost of parking and room and board increasing yearly.

“I’m going to campaign for the fee,” Perry said. “It’s not an SGA thing, it’s a student decision.”

Another one of SGA’s issues is SLUnion, an effort to promote the student union. A committee was formed in January and is still meeting to decide the future of the student union.

Currently, the committee has finished reports and is combining them into one large report with the opinions of committee members.

According to Perry, there is a long list of what the committee would like to see in the student union. He said the big decision remains whether to make changes to the current student union or to build an entirely new structure. Architects are being consulted.

“In my opinion, something is going to be done,” Perry said. “What will be done is the question.”

Perry said that one of SGA’s big issues is to improve communication with students.

“We’re here because the students voted for us,” Perry said. “We are a voice for the students; if we don’t get information from the students, then we’ll go on our own agenda.”

“We want student input,” Perry said.

According to Perry, SGA’s main agenda now consists of housing, student union wrap-up, solidifying weak areas of information technology, and stabilizing academic areas.

“The internal operations of SGA come second to that list,” Perry said.