Undergraduate Student Government addresses ‘State of the Students’

The UIC Undergraduate Student Government held the first “State of the Students” event Feb. 5 to inform the UIC community of the group’s strategies and successes over the past year and plans for this year. 

“This is by no means a social organization, but one that is devoted to uplifting the voices of and advocating the issues of students,” said Taylor Holmes, a junior in political science and public policy who is president of Undergraduate Student Government and vice president for recruitment of the Student Advocacy Coalition.

The address was accompanied by appetizers and an hour of mingling with Undergraduate Student Government.

“Awareness and transparency have been a priority and will continue to be a priority of ours in the upcoming semester,” Holmes said. “We have passed legislation to start an independent student newspaper.”

The address encouraged students to feel more connected to the changes student government hopes to make, including issues related to black student enrollment and retention; food; textbook pricing; building access and more.

“By recognizing the identities of students, we advance the conversation of inclusivity on our campus the executive cabinet deeply understands the connection of identity to education,” Holmes said.

Inclusivity was a main theme of the address, to ensure that every student feels comfortable and can obtain the same education.

“In this upcoming semester, we will be partnering with the library to ensure the accessibility of higher education at UIC in regard to the price of books,” Holmes said.

This year, student government plans to take action on issues related to safety, sustainability and state funding.

Contact Undergraduate Student Government at usguic@gmail.com or attend office hours with questions, concerns or suggestions.