Photo of SGA leadership at Capitol in Washington
SGA leadership worked to secure internships for UK students on Capitol Hill.

These congressional positions represent an outstanding opportunity for students to work with lawmakers and governmental agents, experiencing the role of a Congressional intern tasked with constituent service and legislative research.

“Six Washington internships, reserved specifically for our students, represent invaluable opportunities to live affordably in D.C. and work in the halls of Congress,” said Nolan Jackson, associate director of WIG. “They encourage civic engagement and allow students to intern under the world’s democratic decision-makers. This program truly is unrivaled.”

“We cannot say ‘thanks’ enough,” Matt Doane, associate director of WIG, said. “Without the generous sponsorship and support of the UK Alumni Association, Wildcats in Washington would still be a proposal on paper. The invitation to speak to alumni and promote our program in Washington speaks to the nature of our Wildcat family.”

The internship application deadline for Senator McConnell’s office was Sunday, Feb. 12, and is currently under review.

The remaining summer internships, open to all University of Kentucky students returning for fall semester 2012, require a one-page application sheet and corresponding Congressional Internship application of the Congressman to which a student applies. Those documents and all additionally-required materials should be completed and submitted by 3 p.m. to the SGA office, 120 Student Center, by Thursday, March1:

Office of Congressman Geoff Davis
Office of Senator Rand Paul
Office of Congressman Ben Chandler (6th District students only)
Office of Congressman Hal Rogers (5th District students only)
Office of Congressman Brett Guthrie (2nd District students only

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 by an impartial, unaffiliated selection committee will be notified for interview within 24 hours of the 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.

For more information and all application materials, including application requirements, please visit Wildcats in Washington online at http://uksga.org/applications/wig-internship.

Any questions regarding “Wildcats in Washington” should be directed to Jackson at nolan.jackson@uky.edu.

The University of Kentucky Student Government Association represents all undergraduate, graduate and professional students enrolled at UK in several critical ways including to increase student influence over academic policy and to provide many helpful, creative and necessary student services; to protect and expand student substantive and procedural rights with the university and surrounding municipalities; and to better represent the student body in relations with faculty, administration, Board of Trustees and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Connect with SGA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ukstudentgovernment and on Twitter at twitter.com/UKSGA.

This is a rare and great opportunity for UK students where they can ask questions concerning all aspects of UK’s campus in a comfortable and relaxing setting. For more information, visit our Facebook Event.

UK is working with Education Realty Trust, a private firm from Memphis, Tenn., to turn over housing.

Privatizing housing means UK will turn all of its dorms over to a private company to rebuild and manage the buildings, said Angie Martin, UK’s vice president of financial operations and treasurer, in a Feb. 9 Kernel article. Turning over housing would mean nicer dorms for students.

If trustees approve the contract with EdR on Tuesday, the company will build and manage a 600-bed, $26 million dorm on Haggin Field.

If the first phase goes well, UK would turn over all of its housing to EdR, Martin said. All but seven of the current student housing facilities, including graduate housing, would then be torn down and rebuilt.

Free tickets to the event will be distributed in person from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at the Memorial Coliseum ticket windows located on Euclid Avenue. Tickets (one per ID) will be available to all current UK students and faculty/staff, as well as Bluegrass Community and Technical College students. All seating is general admission.

Attendees may not line up prior to doors opening at 2 p.m. on the day of the event. A valid student or UK faculty/staff ID must be presented with a ticket upon entry. Festivities will begin at 3 p.m. and will include both an open practice and scrimmage.

Students and faculty/staff must enter through the Euclid Avenue doors. All other doors to Memorial Coliseum will be closed.

The practice and scrimmage will air live from 3-5 p.m. ET on WKYT in Lexington, ESPNU, ESPN3 and UKathletics.com. Other affiliates will be announced tomorrow.

Students from across Kentucky gathered in Frankfort on Feb. 7, 2012 for the Rally for Higher Education. Photo by Brian Hancock | Staff

Hundreds of students from state public universities traveled to Frankfort Tuesday to rally for higher education.

With a proposed 6.4 percent budget cut for higher education, tuition increases for Kentucky students are likely.

At UK, the budget cuts could mean a $19.4 million loss in state funding. Such a loss would affect programs all across campus.

Moreover, students could bear the burden of making up the difference in the form of higher tuition.

UK has seen a 161 percent increase in tuition since 2000, according to a Herald-Leader article from Jan. 18.

If tuition continues to increase, it will be more difficult for many of Kentucky’s students to pay for a college education, at UK and other state schools.

Considering all these facts, the Kernel commends the students from all across Kentucky who traveled to Frankfort Tuesday and also those from UK who signed a Student Government petition opposing tuition increases.

We also applaud the efforts of state legislators, who spoke out against budget cuts and for the importance of higher education, including Reps. Ryan Quarles, Richard Henderson and Kelly Flood.

While we may be divided by rivalry, size and distance, this unification of all institutes of higher education is a commendable testament to the importance of securing funding for our and our posterity’s education. Today’s rally is tangible evidence that a voice united is much louder than eight individual universities, and we encourage continued unity in the face of such adversity.

The state government must choose how to spend its money, but it is important for students to let their legislatures know how much cuts to higher education will hurt them.

The Peer Tutoring Program, Academic Enhancement’s most popular service, offers free peer tutoring in more than 50 courses and is located in The Study. The program will add 100 seats to the more than 175 seats already available in the peer tutoring area, and it will offer tutoring for additional subjects like psychology, genetics, anatomy and statistics. Academic Enhancement will announce the expansion at a grand opening event at The Study on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

Throughout Fall 2011, the Peer Tutoring Program provided more than 11,000 tutoring sessions. Increased student traffic required more space for these sessions to occur.

“Student traffic exceeded our existent tutoring area, forcing us to expand to meet student needs,” said Blake Dickens, a student program coordinator.

The program will add four large tables in the larger tutoring area in addition to 12 small tables in the promenade area. New signage, posted on the pillars in the promenade area and the tables in the general tutoring area, will direct students throughout the new space. The program will also create a second desk area located in the promenade, which will be staffed by a desk worker during tutoring hours.

“I think that the expansion will be extremely helpful to our operations,” said another student program coordinator, Austin Wilson. “We will be able to facilitate more people, which ultimately means we will help more people.”

The expansion is supported through UK Student Government funding.

“Student Government is committed to supporting programs that benefit and empower students to be successful,” said Student Government Vice President Nikki Hurt. “The study is a perfect example of a program that utilizes student talent to promote academic achievement, and we are glad it’s expanding.”

Academic Enhancement offers multiple programs to support students academically.

One of these programs is individual academic consultations. Learning specialists are available to discuss topics related to learning and academic success, such as critical reading skills, time management skills, exam preparation plans, stress management, general study skills and organizational skills. To sign up for an appointment, log in to myUK, click on “My Info,” click on “My Appointments,” Select “The Study” and choose the date, time and type of consultation.

For students pursuing graduate education options, Academic Enhancement also offers prep courses for both the verbal and math sections of the GRE. Each course includes two full-length practice exams and additional study materials. In this course, participants will learn the exam structure and test-taking strategies, as well as completing practice questions.

For more information on the services that Academic Enhancement offers, visit this website: www.uky.edu/AE.

The goal of the Sophomore Leadership Fair is to encourage second-year students to get more involved on campus outside of the classroom. Students will have the opportunity to learn about current leadership positions available and find the student organization that best fits their interests. The event will take place from noon to 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, in the Student Center Small Ballroom.

“The idea for this fair was born from conversations with Student Affairs and Undergraduate Education about the importance of keeping sophomores engaged on campus,” said Jillian Pyatte, community outreach coordinator in the Office of Student Involvement. “If students did not get involved their freshman year, or are looking to expand, we want them to know there are many quality leadership opportunities available. Students who are involved outside of the classroom are shown to get better grades and have a more positive college experience, as well as learn valuable leadership and communication skills.”

All sophomore students at UK are invited to attend this exciting event. Light refreshments will be available. For more information on how to get involved on campus, visit getinvolved.uky.edu.

If you are interested in attending, please use the link below and sign up (90 spots available) by Sunday, February 5th.

Sign Up for Rally

The Rally for Higher Education is an opportunity to travel to the Kentucky state capitol building to show student support for Higher Education.  At this event, various student body presidents and state legislators will speak on the importance of Higher Education in the Commonwealth.  UK Student Government will be providing transportation, a shirt and letters of explanation to those that attend this event.

Sign Here!