Fellow Students,
For those of you who are new to ETSU, welcome! We’re excited to have you. For all of our returning students, welcome back!
I am looking forward to getting to work with you all of this year. I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you some changes at the university that have occurred over the summer, as well as give you an update on a few of the SGA’s activities for the upcoming semester.
First and foremost, let me emphasize that I want to focus on communication between the SGA and you.
As your elected student representatives, we are always anxious to sit down and hear your questions, comments, and concerns about ETSU.
To this end, I have tentatively planned to have several “SGA tables” at various locations around the Culp Center throughout the course of the year as a way to make myself and our senators accessible to you. My hope is that this will be a convenient way for you to express yourself to us.
In addition, you all are invited to the SGA’s Senate meetings, which will be held each Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. in the Culp Center Forum. Together, I am confident that we can help to improve this university and the collegiate experiences of our students.
As you come back to campus, you will notice some changes that you need to be aware of. These include a new ban on the use of tobacco products on campus and a redirection of the flow of traffic along the Lake Street and Stout Drive.
The university has also hired a new director of parking services, with the administrative aspects of the parking office now located on West Maple Street.
Increased enforcement of parking regulations will be a component of this new office. To help our students move about campus more easily and conveniently, the BucShot, operated by the Johnson City Transit system, has significantly increased and redesigned service to the entire campus.
Information about their new services can be found on their website or in the Office of Student Affairs. I encourage you all to make sure you are familiar with these changes. If you have any questions about any of these items, feel free to contact the SGA and we’ll get an answer for you from the appropriate university officials.
The upcoming semester promises to be both exciting and busy. Preparations for this year’s Homecoming festivities are well underway, with student participation in the Buc Bash on Saturday, Oct. 18 and the Kickoff/Proclamation scheduled for Monday, Oct. 20.
The Tennessee Board of Regents will also be starting its search for the new president of ETSU in October.
I, along with SGA Vice President Chris Carroll, will be representing you on this search committee.
We welcome you to come by and tell us what you want in the next president so that we can adequately convey the students’ will.
For all student organizations on campus, I have placed BUC Fund applications for the 2008-2009 school year in the SORC, and will also soon add these documents to the SGA’s website.
You will notice that the application has been redesigned to make it more user-friendly and shorter in length. Our first BUC Fund meeting is tentatively scheduled for Sept.9 with applications being due on Sept.4.
I hope that all student organizations will take advantage of this opportunity for funding to help increase student life on campus.
Again, I’m looking forward to working with you all this year. If you have any questions or concerns that the SGA can help you with, please feel free to contact us.
Contact information for all members of the SGA can be found in the bulletin board beside the elevator in the Culp Center.
From myself and the rest of the SGA, good luck in the upcoming school year!
Thank you, T.J. Mitchell, President of the Student Government Association. If you would like to contact me the phone number is 439-4253.

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