Cincinnati ATO closes term as SG President
May 14, 2010
It’s hard to imagine the past year has gone by so quickly. It feels like just yesterday I was giving my “enthusiastic” inauguration speech following the MainStreet Stride, especially because my friends still make fun of me for my overuse of the word “enthusiastic.”
I guess looking back on it all, the past five years I spent as a University of Cincinnati student have also gone by way too quickly; I’m sure I’ve been experiencing many of the same feelings that my fellow graduates are. We look back and wonder “Did I do enough?” “Do I have any regrets?” “If I could do it all over again, would I?”
I hope the rest of you feel similar to me. My only answer? Not a chance. The past five years have been the greatest of my life — especially as I was able to serve UC as the undergraduate student body president. It’s hard to put into words the feelings I have encountered as a representative of the students, elected by my peers, to serve the greatest university in the country.
This year has challenged me in ways that I could never have imagined. The year has been monumental for Student Government.
I traveled to Portland, Ore., to tour their streetcar system and ask their mayor Sam Adams how the relationship between the city and Portland State University has been affected by the emergence of the streetcar that runs through the downtown campus.
I also traveled to Washington, D.C., to an American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference to learn about the relationship between America and Israel. I have traveled and interacted with student leaders at other Ohio universities to discuss state-wide issues.
Student Government as a whole has also developed www.ucbookswap.com to help students save money on textbooks and http://loc101.com/uc, a website that helps students find off-campus housing.
SG raised $2,500 for Mitch’s Mission, allocated more than $5,000 of self-generated funds to the Bike Share program and, not to mention, took the lead on the Proudly Pennies campaign — a campaign which will last for the next three years and is the largest student-led fundraising endeavor in the history of the university – which seeks to raise 1 billion pennies.
We have also worked hard to develop a student diversity committee that will serve the university’s Diversity Council as student representatives. We have also worked to develop other initiatives that will further advance the representation of all students through Student Government. These are just a few of the highlights from this year’s Student Government, of which I’ve been privileged to be a part.
All of this could not have been accomplished without a strong social network of family and friends to whom I owe many thanks. First of all, to my fraternity and my brothers in Alpha Tau Omega, the first organization I joined at UC and the reason I am the man I am today.
Thank you.
To my friends in the orientation office: Being a Summer Orientation Leader was one of the toughest jobs I’ve had, but I appreciate the many life lessons I learned during that summer. To my friends in athletics: You’re the hardest working staff in the Big East and I thank you for everything.
To the UC administration, staff and everyone else I have had the opportunity to work with during the past year: The job you do on a daily basis is nothing short of inspirational and I feel privileged to have been able to work with you.
To my family and my close friends: you have not only made this last year memorable, but you’ve made my entire time at UC the best time of my life. I am forever grateful to have all of you in my life.
In closing, I would like to give a few words of advice to all students at UC.
Find your passion and implement it on our campus. Remember that “nothing great can be accomplished without enthusiasm” and it will be your passion that will bring out enthusiasm and do great things at the University of Cincinnati.
Thank you all for an amazing year.
Tim Lolli served as the the undergraduate student body president during the 2009-10 academic year.