It’s been more than five weeks since Student Government Association elections. Approximately five weeks of classes remain. From this equidistant position, we feel it is appropriate to offer SGA both thanks and sincere suggestions.

With these final days firmly in mind, we commend the accomplishments of this year’s SGA senate and executive board. The Simon Recreation Center renovation is a spectacular success, and the newly updated SGA mailer is a vast improvement over those of previous years. Your remaining meetings are the place to review your objectives, complete those you can and entrust the rest to the new administration.

We also heartily congratulate next year’s executive board and senators elect. Your peers have deemed you the most capable vehicles for communicating student interests. Your job will be challenging and absolutely vital. The students must have a strong voice at this institution. It is your responsibility to unify that voice and ensure it is heard and respected by SLU’s administrative decision makers.

That being said, we’ve developed some suggestions to help you represent that voice next year:

1. Senators: Consistent communication with your constituents must be your ultimate goal. Meet them face-to-face. E-mail them regularly. Seek their opinion before you vote. Don’t just warm the seat. If you find that, after two months, you haven’t spoken in a meeting or sent a single e-mail, either get on the ball or do the responsible thing and resign.

2. Executive board: Take your vague platform and make it specific. Develop an action-oriented set of goals. Instead of following in your predecessors’ footsteps, aiming merely to “assess,” “evaluate” and “investigate” in your written objectives, plan for accomplishment. Plan to act. Set simple, specific goals and meet them.

3. President-elect Clifton: Don’t be afraid to use your judgment to exercise control over the senate. Step in when necessary. Allow for debate, but end it when it becomes redundant. Keep meetings efficient.

4. Senators: Don’t be afraid to question your president. Hold him, and the entire executive board, accountable for goals and actions. If you feel he (they) could be more effective in one respect or another, say something about it.

5. Executive board: Consider alternating between pro and con positions in debate. Formally swap sides after two minutes to allow for balanced discussion. This will make debate more effective, and support or opposition for any particular initiative more clear-cut. Senate seats are not soapboxes.

6. Everyone: Ask the tough questions. Never end debate on an important issue just because you’re tired. Push through. Frankly, your job is far more important than that extra hour of sleep.

7. Everyone: Reinstate a standard of professionalism in your deportment. Dress snappy, but stop snapping and sorority-saluting. A nod-or, if utterly necessary, a quick round of applause-will do to signify approval. Treat this job like the big deal it is.

SGA, follow through with your plans to prepare next year’s senators. Suggest that they attend all of the remaining meetings, not just one. Make the most of your end-of-the-year workshop. Accumulate potential objectives before the end of the semester.

A wise man once said that the best works are inspired by madness and written by reason.

So, don’t be afraid to get fired up. Roll up your sleeves. Ask probing questions. Be the voice of the students.

SGA, we put our faith in you. Don’t let us down.