Having recently been elected to serve you as the 98th Student Body President is an incredible honor. However, it is an honor I cannot accept until I say, “thank you.”

Thank you to those who supported me throughout the strenuous election process – your encouragement was sincere and always of great need. Also, thank you to those who had objections and concerns toward me. I will listen, grow and respond in a positive direction with the best interests of SMU in mind.

My goal as president is simple: improving the quality of life for each and every student here at SMU. Whether improving the quality of life includes extending library hours, eliminating graduation fees or parking reform, I hope to continue the work of the 97 previous Student Body Presidents in sharing their passion and love for SMU.

I cannot and will not promise success in every endeavor, but I will promise a genuine effort to promote issues with the best interests of SMU students in mind. As I said throughout my campaign, SMU is the greatest university in the country. Many people I have talked with wholeheartedly believe this, but there is always room for improvement. If we all buy in to this philosophy, reality will follow closely behind.

I titled this opinion piece “Open for Business” because I want everyone to feel welcome in approaching me. I am nothing more than a typical SMU student who wants to hear your thoughts, complaints, comments, or whatever else you can think of. Please reach out to me in anyway you would like, knowing fully that I will get back to you quickly.

As the semester begins to come to a close, good luck on finals, and start thinking about planning your road trip down to College Station for our first football game next fall.

Pony Up,

Austin Prentice

Student Body President-elect

Austin Prentice is a junior political science and biology double major. He can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected].