Olinda Ricard, business management senior from Killeen, Texas, will be serving her second term as president of the Student Government Association next semester.

Q: What are your goals for the upcoming year as SGA President?

A: My goals for the upcoming year include improving the quality, quantity and effectiveness of communication on our campus, increasing the visibility and productivity levels of the Student Government, working with administration to improve the Academic and Disciplinary Appeal Processes and promoting service-learning.

Q: What are your expectations for the upcoming year?

A: I am expecting the upcoming year to be very productive, challenging and rewarding.

Q: What do you look forward to most as SGA President for the upcoming year?

A: The thing I am looking forward to the most next year is the increased levels of interest and participation of students in campus life. I am seeing our campus evolve before my eyes. Yes, there are still many individuals who are here strictly to obtain their degree, but there are many who are beginning to take ownership of their experience here at Nicholls. They are beginning to realize that you get out what you put in.

Q: What changes would you like to see on campus this upcoming year?

A: I would like to see a definite plan for special event parking and student organizations and departments working together more. Instead of focusing on individual success, we need to focus on the big picture.

Q: What do you look forward to least in the upcoming year?

A: I am not very fond of the assumptions individuals make about the SGA and departments on campus when they have not taken the time to do their research.

I cringe when the Nicholls Worth fails to give recognition to the SGA for its involvement in activities and role in addressing issues and carrying out initiatives.

We are not in competition with any organization on this campus. We are not here to entertain the masses… we are here to serve.

We have a responsibility to provide students with information to have a rewarding college experience, which we attempt to do through our Web site, flyers, E-mails and ads in the paper, but we hope our student newspaper would realize it is responsible for much of the misinformation and ill feelings our student body feels toward the most important student organization on this campus.

Q: If you could change one thing next year, what would it be?

A: Establish a joint office for service-learning and diversity.

These are two areas of great importance and deserve to be treated so. An office would serve as a clearinghouse for resources, dissemination of information and center for research and development.