Just as the temperatures outside rise in time for summer, so do the levels of stress for UK students as finals week approaches.

“The last week of classes can create a great deal of stress for a (UK) student,” said Ashley Campbell, UK senior who serves as the deputy chief of campus issues.

The Student Government Association will be hosting Cram Jam, designed for students to take a breather from the studying and stress of finals, from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday in Memorial Coliseum.

“Our main objective for Cram Jam is to create a fun-filled, yet relaxing environment for all students,” Campbell said. “The student body has a chance to unwind at Cram Jam.”

Cram Jam will be providing free food, games, massages and T-shirts, and organizers will be giving away “three great prizes,” Campbell said.

Campbell added that Cram Jam will have five different inflatables.

There will be tours of the Joe Craft Center, UK’s basketball practice facility, as well as open basketball courts, with a chance to match up against student athletes who will be enjoying the Cram Jam festivities too, according to Campbell.

“Students should attend Cram Jam to enjoy an environment of interaction with their fellow classmates,” Campbell said.

Campbell said that this will be the last big campus event of the year, meaning it will be one of the last opportunities for graduating seniors to come together.

“Along with the amazing prizes and activities, this is an amazing event for our fellow graduating seniors to enjoy their last campus event with faculty and friends,” Campbell said.

Cram Jam is free to attend, and all UK students and faculty members are welcome.

Creed: a formal summary of beliefs, faith and principles.

Until recently, the University of Kentucky did not have such a statement of its beliefs. The Board of Trustees changed that today when members accepted the suggested pronouncement of a committee made up of students, faculty, staff, alumni and a board member.

Student Government Association President Stephen Bilas led the 17-member committee that began meeting Aug. 28, 2012, at the behest of UK President Eli Capilouto. The committee wanted the UK Creed to include values such as integrity, academic excellence and freedom, mutual respect, inclusion, personal and institutional responsibility and accountability, shared governance, community, civic responsibility, service to society and sensitivity to work-life concerns.

The University of Kentucky’s Creed reads:

I promise to strive for academic excellence and freedom by promoting an environment of creativity and discovery.
I promise to pursue all endeavors with integrity and compete with honesty.
I promise to embrace diversity and inclusion and to respect the dignity and humanity of others.
I promise to contribute to my University and community through leadership and service.
I promise to fulfill my commitments and remain accountable to others.
We believe in the University of Kentucky and will forever honor our alma mater.

The University Creed Committee included Stephen Bilas, SGA president; Mary Katherine Kington, SGA vice president; Chris Crumrine, University Relations; Rhonda Strouse, Student Affairs; Laura Skillman, Agricultural Communications; Kelly Holland, Board of Trustees; Becky Jordan, Dean of Students Office; Terry Birdwhistell, Libraries; Frank Walker, Department of English; David Melanson, College of Pharmacy; Hamzah Khan, student leader; Ann Dickson, student leader; Justin Penny, student leader; Kelley Bozeman, UK Marketing; Katy Bennett, UK Marketing; Nathan  Schwake, UK Athletics; and Kelli Elam, Alumni Association.

President / Vice President
Roshan Palli & Jacob Ingram

College Senators
Agriculture – Alex Bugg & Zeke Green
Arts & Sciences – Jenna Day, Chaz Shelton & Trevor Nichols
Business & Economics – Will Ratliff & Antoine Vinson
Communication – Stephanie Bellot
Dentistry – Aaron D.A. Stanley
Design – Kathryn Albert
Education – Rachel Allgeier & Luke Ambrose
Engineering – Christine Mattingly & Scout McCamy
Fine Arts – Evan Pulliam
Health Sciences – Zach Evans
Law – Ryan Galloway
Medicine – Scott Tracy
Nursing – Josh Miller
Pharmacy – David Roy
Public Health – To Be Determined (no votes)
Social Work – Rebecca Goggin

Undergraduate At-Large
Joe Papp
Cabot Haggin
Dwight Haggard
Clay Lykins
Faina Matveeva
Lauren Hendrickson
Austin Mullen
Hunter Porter
Kathleen Smith
Caroline Engle
Christian Fielden
Mariel Jackson
Megan Biven
Arayo Sokan
Harper Smith

Graduate At-Large
Devin Pence
Timothy Bill
Ryan Eads
Thomas Travis
Three way tie (Vaughn, Smith, Gavin)

The full election results can be found HERE.

Rather than an annual formality, elections should mark a special occasion when students directly impact the voice heard by the administration and faculty. Though these institutions may seem separate at times, Student Government’s elected representatives offer a consolidated consensus toward positive changes around the university.

Recent changes include the expansion of on-campus housing, secured internships in Washington, D.C. (through WIG) and various campus-wide safety initiatives.

Without collective representation, none of these initiatives would have been possible. Voting ensures SGA is representative of the entire student body and allows it to delegate with the utmost legitimacy on everyone’s behalf.

Elections this year will take place on Feb. 27 and 28. Voting can be done by visiting the SGA website or through various voting stations on campus.

I challenge all of you to participate in the process of selecting your student representatives of the 2013-14 academic year.

Go Cats!

nedwards@kykernel.com

Students are being hired to help advisers in the College of Arts and Sciences manage students.  Student Government approved a $6,700 grant Wednesday night to support the project.

The college’s dean said A&S plans to match the funds to help further.

“The college plans to match the funds to build our student employment opportunities for the summer,” College of Arts and Sciences Dean Mark Kornbluh said in an email to the Kernel. “Once passed, I plan to sit down with the A&S senators, as well as the advising professionals, to develop the best possible employment opportunities for students that also helps the administrative needs of the unit.”

A&S has lost eight advisers and one director in the past eight months. Kornbluh said no advisers were laid off during that time, but others have said people left amid the threat of budget cuts.

“When I learned that there were budget cuts and people were let go, there was a panic and people left when they heard there was going to be another adviser cut,” Luke Glaser, an English and Spanish senior and A&S ambassador, said.

Due to this shortage, two students will be hired for full-time academic status working in the front office and assisting professional advisers.

“The quickest way we thought we could fix this problem is to provide student workers,” said Maddie Wright, an English senior and A&S senator and ambassador.

“When we were approached with this item we enthusiastically took advantage of this,” said Ariel Blythe Reske, a biology junior and A&S ambassador. “The advising problem has hit every student.”

Blythe Reske said she hears students constantly complain they cannot find an adviser when priority registration is near.

“In some majors, like my own, some advisers have been taken off for junior and seniors,” she said. “Upperclassmen are being paired with professors and professors are going to make advising their secondary priority at best.”

A&S is interested in hiring new professional advisers, Kornbluh said.

“I believe strongly in student employment and a community that involves students and giving students the opportunity to work at the university. It’s a really valuable experience,” Kornbluh said. “This fits with our long-term goals to have more student workers.”

It is important to note a change in the policy would not alter the current drinking age of 21, of which 93 percent of students living on campus are below. However, as the university continues to revitalize our growing campus with new residential facilities, the university will have to examine certain policies to allow students particular freedoms.

If we are to encourage students to live in new, on-campus housing, then we must move past the assumption that everyone living on-campus is a freshman. Students should be afforded appropriate rights based on their rising age.

What, for instance should the policy be for a residential hall occupied completely by individuals under the legal drinking age? Such a policy allowing alcohol would serve no purpose as existing laws supersede it. Where a change in policy should be considered is in certain areas throughout campus where students, both young and old, could congregate responsibly in the presence of alcohol.

During the fall semester, an incident occurred in a popular student tailgating area resulting in several acts of misconduct. When asked by members of the media about the issue, I referenced the need for a change. Presently there are students developing “bad habits” as they venture off campus where there are no regulations and therefore no accountability for their actions.

I believe the isolated incident that resulted in a temporary tailgating ban this fall was the result of these bad habits migrating back to campus and escalating with individuals not associated with UK being introduced into the situation.

Would a “wet” campus provide an opportunity for students to be educated in proper behavior, while providing a safe environment to do so?

Yes, but that is with the inclination that students who are under the legal drinking age are going to follow the campus alcohol policy. If they choose not to follow it, the same issues will arise as they will once again migrate off campus.

Student safety has always been the number one priority of the president, the university and myself. Rest assured, this process is being done comprehensively rather than intuitively resting on our assumptions. That is why so many individuals are evaluating our existing policy, surveying our students and researching other schools’ practices.

If the university were to amend the policy, students must be willing and able to adapt to the regulations governing them. We as students must develop better practices individually and collectively, as safety should remain our main priority.

As we move toward the future, we must focus on protecting our fellow students and holding them accountable as members of the Wildcat family and Big Blue Nation.

Many individuals have made reference to the current policy forcing students off campus which in turn is resulting in questionable behavior. I frequently see students congregating in the Lexington community and the culture, rather than their environment, has dictated their actions.

I believe alcohol education and awareness is essential for young adults to learn how to acceptably behave in social settings. Unfortunately many students are currently developing bad practices in various social environments both on and off campus.

In an ideal world, we would not have to worry about an alcohol policy, but the reality is, we as students are at a pivotal stage in our lives as we transition into adulthood. It is at this time where some students can develop bad habits that they may carry with them throughout the remainder of their lives.

The situation is not as simple as wet or dry and to act on the notion that it is, is irresponsible. I believe the existing policy needs to be revised. The extent of that revision does not rest on either end of the spectrum, but somewhere in the middle. I am in favor of a policy which allows students the opportunity to congregate, while giving those students of the legal age the ability to consume alcohol responsibly.

The challenge will be creating a policy which students will adopt and that reflects the importance of safety and alcohol education; to do so would require a culture change for the student body.

In my research, I discovered a quote which I thought was very appropriate for this matter, “An accurate description of the problem is 90 percent of the solution.” So I ask, is the interest in a policy change for: students under the legal drinking age who are “forced” off-campus; students who can legally drink wishing to do so on campus; or in the interest of allowing all individuals the ability to congregate when alcohol is present?

I am pleased with the president in this process of evaluating the existing policy. I truly believe he has the best interest of all students at heart and will not take this decision lightly.

I welcome those of you wishing to share your thoughts on this issue with me by emailing me at president@uksga.org or stop by the student government office.

The remaining summer internships, open to all University of Kentucky students returning for fall semester 2013, require a one-page application sheet and corresponding Congressional Internship application of the Congressman to which a student applies. These documents and all additionally-required materials should be completed and submitted by noon (12pm) to the SGA office, 120 Student Center, by Wednesday, February 20^th.  

• Office of Congressman Brett Guthrie (2^nd District students only
• Office of Congressman Thomas Massie (4^th District students only)
• Office of Congressman Hal Rogers (5^th District students only)
• Office of Congressman Andy Barr (6^th District students only)
• Office of Senator Rand Paul

Students who do not know their Congressional district should access Kentucky Voter Information Center to see their registration and district information (https://cdcbp.ky.gov/VICWeb/index.jsp).  Though length of internship varies, each position’s term ranges from four to six weeks.

Students deemed qualified will be notified for an interview with an impartial, unaffiliated selection committee within 2 business days following the application deadline. After interviews, one preferred and one secondary candidate will be recommended for selection to each respective office, at which point that office will award the summer position to one student. Those selected students will be eligible for a $1,500 living stipend upon accepting the Congressional office’s final offer and signing the Student Government Memorandum of Understanding.  Any questions regarding “Wildcats in Washington” should be directed to Jackie Anne Conley at j.a.conley@uky.edu.

College Senator Application

If you have any questions, please contact Election Board Chair Josh Buettner.