With all that has happened recently in Texas and across the nation, it can be difficult to remember that the semester began only two weeks ago. However, our elected officials, both here on campus and in Washington, have been hard at work welcoming students back to school and planning for the upcoming year. Today’s page highlights leaders from three governmental bodies that play an important role in the lives of students: UT Senate of College Councils, UT Student Government and U.S. Congress. Each gives their vision for the year, and gives students suggestions for how to stay engaged in our community.

First, we feature guest columnists Austin Blane Reynolds and Lu Barraza, who serve as president and vice president of the Senate of College Councils. They introduce Senate and its mission, and outline their agenda for the year, with a specific focus on improving representation, promoting student health, and creating a centralized testing center.

Our next guest columnists are Alejandrina Guzman and Micky Wolf, UT student body president and vice president. They express their high hopes for the coming school year, their goal of empowering the student body, and their commitment to creating a more inclusive and representative campus.

Finally, we turn our attention to the national political sphere, with a guest column from U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett. Doggett served as UT student body president in 1967, and received his law degree from the UT School of Law. He has been a U.S. congressman since 1995, and currently represents Texas’ 35th congressional district, which stretches from east Austin to San Antonio. In his column, Doggett calls for students to become more politically active, and presents his education-related legislative priorities, which include resisting cuts to university funding, making college more affordable, and passing the DREAM Act.

If you have an opinion on one of these topics or anything else, we’re always ready to listen —  email us at [email protected].

Nemawarkar is a Plan II and government junior from Austin. Shirvaikar is a math and economics junior from Frisco.