As we prepare to complete the fall semester and as final exams approach, we can all take care to observe the many changes that have occurred and continue to take place at the University. The restoration of Lincoln Hall was completed, and progress is being made on the new home for electrical and computer engineering on the Bardeen Quad. Robert Easter took the helm as University president this past summer, and Phyllis Wise started her second year as chancellor. President Barack Obama was re-elected, and the upcoming budget battle in Congress will have ramifications for both this University and all of us individually.

Thus, this year will be one of great change as we seek to strengthen our University amid a bleak financial situation.

However, I am proud to have leadership willing to make tough decisions to enhance our strategic position as a world-class university. Chancellor Wise has committed herself to promoting institutional excellence and agility in a rapidly changing educational environment. To this end, Wise envisions Illinois as a leader among our peer institutions by championing sustainability and inclusiveness on our campus. President Easter continues leading efforts to develop Illinois into the nation’s preeminent public research university.

Even still, President Easter and Chancellor Wise are committed to hearing the student voice as decisions are made, and we must exercise that voice to ensure that student interests are represented. This is a shared responsibility and a process in which we can all participate.

I encourage you to seek membership on a student senate or campus committee. Apply for vacancies on our website, iss.illinois.edu. I look forward to continued student participation in decision-making as we guide the University toward renewed excellence.

I would happily extend an invitation to any and all students to join us at our next regularly scheduled senate meeting, Wednesday, Nov. 28. The Illinois Student Senate will be welcoming Chancellor Wise to deliver remarks to the assembly. All students are welcome and encouraged to attend.

To all students, the Illinois Student Senate wishes you a sublimely happy Thanksgiving and a relaxing fall break. I hope you are as excited as I am for the coming weeks and closure of the semester, and be sure to recharge over this break in preparation for final exams. The coming weeks promise both many great opportunities and many great challenges for all of us.

Brock Gebhardt,

ISS student body president