OPINION
8/27/15 12:09pm
By The Student Association
Welcome to Rice!Jazz Silva, SA PresidentOn behalf of the Student Association, I would like to welcome both new and returning students to the new semester. Despite it being the summer months, our team continued to meet and work for you. Now that the fall has arrived, we are happy to reveal our new website and our new monthly page in the Thresher!As we begin this new academic year, I would like to remind each student that they have a voice. This means that at all times students have the ability to make changes they want to see become a reality. From the new off-campus meal plan to the restructuring of the economics department, it’s clear that students have the ability to make a difference when they feel empowered to speak up. I want to see this spirit of engagement continue at full force! For all our new students on campus, I encourage you to apply for the new student representative positions at your respective colleges. This is the easiest way to get a real look at what campus government looks like and to develop leadership experience.As promised in my campaign, the campus-wide senate meetings will now be held in the colleges. So, by the end of this year many of you will attend an SA meeting for the first time. I hope you can see how dedicated our entire team is to working for students. I look forward to a great year and thank you again for letting me serve as your president! New initiative fundThe Student Initiative fund is a new funding opportunity created in light of the recent changes to the blanket tax system. This opportunity is available for all subsidiary organizations and active Rice student organizations. The Initiative fund money will be distributed via an application process that will be made available to all organizations. There will be two opportunities to apply for funding between the second and third SAPP deadlines each semester. Stay tuned for more information in the upcoming weeks on specific dates and application information. If you have any questions regarding the fund please feel free to contact satreas@rice.edu.
