Friends, it is April 15, and I don’t have to tell you that the Spring semester is almost in the books. With Keeneland opening and the temperature rising, you can almost forget that finals week is just around the corner.

With the conclusion of the term, we are forced to say goodbye to old friends who are graduating and moving on with their lives. While the idea of transitioning into the ‘real world’ can be frightening, it is a fact of life.

The silver lining, however, is that the summer brings us new friends. Anyone that has been around freshman orientations during the summer knows that the introduction of new students to this university brings new life to campus.

So don’t fret, with the Jonathan Webb Music Festival being re-scheduled for April 26, we have a whole lot to look forward to!

Grant Mills and I have really hit the ground running with our new administration. We are working on several events and programs I think you will be very happy with when you see them in the fall.

We are joining with the UK administration to build a comprehensive plan called “Campus 365.” Our mission is to provide you, the student body, with tangible and realistic goals in hopes that you can get a small glimpse of what you can expect from Student Government and the university next year.

If you would like to be on board with us and be on our staff, we would love to have you come along. Please see the SG Web site (www.uksga.org) for an executive application and get it back to us by Friday.

We understand that being accountable means being transparent in every step of the way, from the development of ideas to the implementation of plans. Grant and I believe that although we can explain why we believe someone is capable to work in SG, it is important that students know the qualifications of their SG leaders.

The goal of the new application and interview system is to get new life in SG as well as provide the opportunity for any student to come to the SG office and look at the resume of any SG staff member. Hey, we work for you, so naturally we want our processes to be as open as possible for your approval.

If any of you have been paying attention to the news recently, then you know tuition is going up. Again.

However, it is important to note that although in-state tuition is increasing by 9 percent, it could be worse. In previous years, tuition has seen double-digit increases, although we saw a 9 percent increase last year.

Due to the state’s cut to UK’s general funding, the university has to make some significant changes. If the university relies solely on an increase in tuition to cover the budget losses, we would be seeing an increase in almost 18 percent.

Thankfully, however, the administration has taken part of the hit, and cuts have been made nearly everywhere on campus. University employees are not getting raises this year, and in this economy, that isn’t good news for anyone.

Let’s be honest: everyone hates tuition increases. It’s no good for students and their parents who pay those bills, but there is still light at the end of the tunnel friends: With the increase in tuition, President Lee Todd and the Board of Trustees are demonstrating their commitment to the Top 20 Business Plan.

As much as we want to keep tuition manageable and affordable, we want to continue our investment in our future. It’s your job to go make the best grades possible, but it is the job of President Todd and the provost to make the degrees we get here as valuable as possible.

Tyler Montell is the Senate president and president-elect of UK Student Government. E-mail opinions

@kykernel.com.