The 2006-2007 Undergraduate Student Senate was inaugurated at the 28th Annual Student Leadership and Honors Award Celebration and Inauguration last night.

Community Affairs Senator Ross Miltner, the newly-elected 2006-2007 executive director, gave his inauguration address to a crowd of about 200.

Miltner discussed his plans for next year, including working with the All Campus Programming Board to improve programming on the Kent campus. He said he will work with the university administration to ensure that Kent State is as safe as possible by adding more sidewalks and lighting to campus.

“Safety is an issue I and the senator for student advancement will seriously address to make security not only better, but the best it can be,” he said.

He congratulated the inaugurated senate in his speech and said he looks forward to working with them to achieve their goals. He named each inaugurated senator and what he or she will be in charge of for next year.

– Preston Mitchum, senator for academic affairs, will be the fighting voice for academic issues on campus.

– Christen Coppola, senator for student relations, will be in charge of implementing new programs to give students more opportunities on campus.

– Justin Jeffery, senator for community affairs, will be in charge of creating a positive image for Kent State.

– Amy Groya, senator for governmental affairs, will work to increase student involvement in elections and voter turn-out.

– Sean Groves, senator for business and finance, is in the process of selecting this year’s Allocations Committee and will strive to create greater fairness on the committee.

– Kourtney Wolfgang, senator for research and development, will work to create polls and surveys to find out what is important to the undergraduate student body.

– Megan Sedello, incumbent university affairs senator, will use her second term to educate the student body on the judicial system at Kent State.

“We are on the verge of an outstanding year to come,” Miltner said.

In his farewell speech, current Executive Director Bill Ross thanked all the student leaders he has worked with this year. He said his college experience has been a bumpy road, but he will learn from the experiences. He encouraged the student leaders to strive for success, despite difficult times.

“Hard work and determination are your keys to success,” he said.

Contact student politics reporter Breanne George at [email protected].