My name is Ryan Pitts, and as a two-year member of the SMU Student Senate, I decided to place my name as a candidate for student body vice president because I feel I have a lot to contribute to the senate and to you, the student body. I believe the university is at a critical point. There are changes going on across campus every day, and I want to be involved as Student Senate vice president, seeing that any changes will benefit each of us, as students.

One of the main needs is for the student body to be kept informed about the decisions our administration makes and the actions of Student Senate. Opening the lines of communication is one of my main objectives. We need to ensure that the administration knows the needs and wants of the students.

There is little doubt that we need to address the growing concerns of drugs and alcohol on campus. We have seen the report from the task force that was created recently, and some of these suggestions are very worthwhile. As a senator I met with various administrators concerning the drug and alcohol issues, and I helped author two pieces of legislation concerning the Medical Amnesty policy and the Good Samaritan Act. I was pleased that both pieces of legislation were unanimously adopted by the Student Senate at the beginning of this semester. As you know, the Medical Amnesty Policy and the Good Samaritan Act were included in the task force’s recommendations, and I will continue to fight to make sure these policies are implemented before next year.

I would like to see more organizations on campus that are readily available to others. To coincide with that idea, the Student Senate needs to work with the finance committee to give organizations fair and equal budgets. I feel offering more opportunities for students to be involved in campus activities will have a positive impact on retention rates. I am willing to work to promote more events on campus for chartered organizations.

Our university has an exciting future. As student body vice president, I pledge to work with you to keep you more informed of the plans implemented by the administration. I would like to encourage the university to expand its list of majors and to look at additional courses and classes. I feel improving the student center, to make it the core of student activity, would be a positive step. The lighting on campus needs to be improved; I am willing to work on that issue. We have some outstanding athletic programs on campus; I would like to see an increased enthusiasm for our sports teams among the student body.

I am committed to Southern Methodist University. I am the fourth generation of my family to attend SMU, and I promise to work hard to keep it a quality educational institution. I am asking for your vote for student body vice president because, by working together, we can make positive things happen.