On the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 6, the Student Government Association held its annual State of the Student Government Association Address in James Hall. Student Body President Dan McCord spoke in regards to the Student Government’s intentions for improving UNC Wilmington’s campus throughout the academic year.

The first issue McCord addressed was the lack of sufficient space available to students in Randall Library. He emphasized how the library is vital to the student body and surrounding community, but that the capacity problem has grown too obvious to ignore.

“The library must be addressed in the master plan. I can think of no other resource with greater widespread use,” McCord said. “We must determine how the library will evolve to grow and expand.”

McCord went on to bring up the current state of many of UNCW’s lecture halls and their lack of proper appliances. He pointed out that the university’s lecture halls are of the highest caliber and comfort, yet many of them possess deficiencies.

“I believe there is a second tier of lecture halls on this campus that stands in stark contrast to these examples,” McCord said, referencing the satisfactory halls previously mentioned.

He named Morton Hall as one of the lacking areas and noted others that share the same issues of inadequate outlets, broken chairs and an uncomfortable environment. McCord emphasized how these buildings house large departments and stated that critical thinking must take place in order to improve these halls.

President McCord’s next topic was the ongoing struggle with parking for students, faculty and staff in all areas of campus.

“While I fully understand the university’s purpose is to keep our campus pedestrian-friendly, I feel that we must consider the students’ convenience in parking,” McCord stated. “I am obliged to speak on behalf of our students, and I must state that I believe our students are at a breaking point.”

He emphasized the fact that students pay $350 a year for a parking pass and yet still receive the occasional ticket due to their lack of knowledge regarding the permit and zoning policies. McCord proposed that a greater effort be put forth to educate students on these policies and prevent them from having to risk getting a ticket in order to get to class on time.

For his final concern, McCord brought into light the lack of diversity on UNCW’s campus and made a call for action.

“I do believe that we can do more to combat bigotry in all forms,” McCord said. “Diversity is an issue of people. This is not just a policy decision that deals with numbers and data.”

He went on to reference the overwhelming presence of racism in the national political discussion and how no student should ever feel such discrimination at any time. McCord declared the full support of the SGA and the campus diversity centers in achieving this goal.

“We are not simply a campus where you go to class, get your degree and move on. We are something much greater than that. We are a school where people come here and stay here,” McCord concluded. “Student Government is ready for the year ahead with an optimistic eye of the future.”