Is SGA President Diego Lagos keeping his campaign promises?

The SGA, under the leadership of President Diego Lagos, has been working on a myriad of initiatives for the current school year. Free printing, dining services, student involvement and student lounge renovations were topics Lagos addressed. 

SGA Printing Station located in the 'Fish Bowl' in Crooker. 
Sarah Oyarce / The Summa 

FREE PRINTING

The price of printing on campus, which has always been a problem for students, has been resolved, according to Lagos.

SGA now funds free printing for UST’s undergraduate students at the printing station inside the ‘Fish Bowl’ in Crooker. Lagos explains the student body’s need for free printing.

“I know there’s going to be those occasions where you need a paper, and you have five minutes before your class starts,” Lagos said. “SGA might be your only hope.”

The printing station is technically open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but there are some inconsistencies with the printer’s schedule.

Because the computer in the printing station requires a login by SGA members, executive staff and senators take shifts monitoring the station. SGA members may not always be available to provide students access to free printing due to classes, extracurricular activities or other responsibilities, according to Lagos.

SGA has imposed a limit of 10 pages per day at the printing station.

DINING SERVICES

In hopes of offering more variety and healthier choices in Crooker, Lagos hopes to establish his ‘Copy/Paste’ initiative. 

The initiative was developed when Lagos, as well as other students, noticed that Crooker offered better and more food choices during the summer, when Houston Ballet Academy students reside in Guinan Hall for the academy’s summer program.

The Houston Ballet Academy website describes Crooker as a cafeteria that provides “innovative menus designed for dancers” for a cost of either $3,070 for a six-week stay or $1,675 for a three-week stay.

Lagos wants to know how SGA can bring the same options given to the academy’s students to UST’s student body.

“What is it going to take to ‘copy/paste’ what we see in the summer?” Lagos said. “Copy and then paste it during the semester.”

Lagos’ initiative has started with a student survey. SGA plans to get the survey results and bring it to the Office of Dining Services in hopes of working towards a solution.

Although Lagos realizes students may not want to pay more for their meal plan, Lagos still wants to bring students the option.

“I want to see what it’s going to take,” Lagos said. “[The ballerinas] are here for the summer, we’re here for four years.”

The deadline for the survey is on Nov. 4. After SGA has compiled student feedback, Lagos will schedule a meeting and take the results to Dining Services in early December.

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

In our last interview with Lagos, we asked him about encouraging student involvement with school activities. SGA’s solution to this issue is this message board.

Lagos hopes this board will keep the student body up to date on what is happening on campus. The board will publicize COC’s, SAB’s and SCA’s most relevant events at the discretion of SGA.

“We want it to be standardized,” Lagos said. “You go there, and you know exactly what’s going on with the school.”

Lagos expects the board, which will be located in between the seal and Malloy Hall, to be up by the beginning of November.

There is no cost to advertise on the board as it is also funded by SGA.

LOUNGE RENOVATIONS

Student lounge renovations were also included in Lagos’ agenda when running for president.

The Fish Bowl in Crooker has been renovated and now includes the free printing station, reupholstered and restained chairs, a study bar with new bar stools and a conference table. SGA is also getting ready to purchase new couches. Financial Officer Alexis Peltier spearheaded these renovations.

The Fish Bowl renovations totaled up to $6,153, which comes from SGA’s 2015 – 2016 budget.

Lagos has also created the “Old Bookstore Committee” and charged its committee head, Secretary Brienna Garza, with developing a recreational lounge for students in the Old Bookstore. 

OTHER INITIATIVES

Other SGA initiatives from Lagos include the resolutions for changing stations to be installed in the family restroom located in Crooker as well as in other locations around campus. He is also pushing for the student webmail data quote to be increased from the current 150 megabits to a higher amount.

Both resolutions have passed in the Senate.