The SGA has begun posting its monthly financial expenditures online so all students can view how SGA dollars are being spent. This represents a tremendous improvement over years past and is a great stride toward SGA President James Fowler’s goal of transparency, a key component of his campaign last spring.

This semester, the SGA lost $10,280 on the Ride with the Tide program that took 150 students to Baton Rouge for the Alabama vs. LSU game and $527 on the High Tide Club, but it has still been able to keep its budget balanced.

While these programs definitely should be re-evaluated in the future to make sure the student body is getting the most bang for their buck, the launch of so many significant new projects this year has definitely created more opportunities for students. Over time, the SGA will hopefully be able to draw on experiences this semester to correct weaknesses in these initiatives and address the concerns of the student body.

The result will be an SGA that is not only more transparent and accountable but more involved in directly improving campus life.

Mark David Kennedy, the current SGA treasurer, has also said that the SGA has started a scholarship endowment fund to help students. Depending on the way scholarships are awarded and this fund is structured, this program could be very valuable to students in need.

Fowler and Kennedy should be commended for their leadership in opening up SGA finances, and the entire SGA should be commended for starting so many projects that have the potential to help students. The SGA has made great progress this year, and hopefully they will build on these positive reforms next semester by continuing to become more open, more accountable, and more inclusive.

Our View is the consensus of The Crimson White editorial board.