Column by Ryan Smith. E-mail [email protected].

Election season has come and gone, and with it has returned the ability to actually tolerate watching television as ad campaigns have fallen to the wayside. In all seriousness, though, I hope many, if not all of you, were able to take the time to vote last week as our government continued its constant change.

Elections on campus have wrapped up, including elections for freshman senators. After a ruling by the Student Supreme Court disqualified one candidate for illegal campaigning, four new members have been added to the Student Government Senate.

Congratulations to Tyler Fields, Kelly Rice, Tommy Crush and Emily Willett on all of their hard work and dedication. A record 27 freshmen decided to throw their hats in the election ring this year, and it was great to see the amount of passion in our freshman class. A record number of freshman voters came out, too: 1,295 freshmen made it to the polls to elect their student representatives.

Thank you once again to all of those who participated in the elections this fall and those who ran for election. You are the future leaders of this university and it is great to see how strong your passion is for this university.

We have begun to finalize all of the last minute details as the Cats Cruiser made its second mock run last evening with representatives of the Neighborhood Association, UK administration and eight student representatives aboard. The buses, provided and driven by LexTran, drove the four set routes that will see the most student travel at night on the weekends. Each route will have eight to 11 stops along the way and will provide students with a free, safe means of getting home. The mock runs were planned not only to iron out last minute details, but to demonstrate the dire need for this program as it pertains to student safety on campus. The map of routes and stops will be available soon for all students to see, as all the final administrative details are completed.

The holidays are quickly approaching, so in the spirit of Thanksgiving, help us represent the Southeastern Conference and defeat the ACC in a canned food challenge. All donations of non-perishable canned food items will be given to a Lexington food bank, and in friendly competition, we will keep track of our cans to submit to the SEC total. You may drop off canned food items at the SG office between now and Nov. 19. If you know of an organization collecting canned food items, let us know this week by e-mailing [email protected], so we can add it to our total. Stay tuned to http://canu101.weebly.com/ to track the challenge.

Speaking of the holidays, Parking & Transportation has decided to provide its Student Ride Home Express program again this year. Students may purchase a ticket for transportation home during the holidays for an affordable fee. Buses will be running to eight area locations for the duration of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. If any students are interested, visit the PTS website for more information.

Last Friday the Presidential Search Committee started to undergo the process of finding President Todd’s successor. The committee met last Friday and will meet again this week to discuss the procedure of going about the search for our next president. It is an exciting process and I look forward to updating you as we begin the search for the next UK president.

Finally, I would like to remind everyone of some of the ongoing year-round services SG is currently providing on campus. For any student organizations on campus that may require additional funding to help put on an event or trip, please visit our website, www.uksga.org, and fill out a funding request form. Completed forms are sent to the SG Senate for approval and appropriation.

Warm-up Wednesdays are back again this year as winter and the POT wind tunnel slowly start to set in. SG representatives will be set up outside of Whitehall Classroom Building every other Wednesday giving out free hot chocolate and other great giveaways, so be sure to stop by. Also, the first 300 students who stop by the office will receive a free t-shirt, so come down to room 120 of the Student Center and see us.

As Thanksgiving break approaches, I wish safe travels to those of you who are going home and that you have a great time relaxing with your friends and family. You deserve it!