President Tre Nelson welcomed SGA members to the new year and a busy semester for the student government organization. He and other senators emphasized their upcoming events such as Leadership NSU throughout the meeting.

Nelson recounted the brief history of the leadership conference, now in its third year, and how much the event has grown since its conception.

“It’s pretty cool seeing how far this has come because when we initially did it, there wasn’t a whole lot of participation from SGA… but we’ve made leaps and bounds from last year,” Nelson said.

“We honestly wouldn’t be where we are without how much work people put into it last year, and I think it speaks to how organized of an organization we are.”

Leadership NSU will officially begin at noon on Friday and continue through the weekend. SAB will host a headphone disco and glowcade Friday night.

The president himself said he will not be able to attend Leadership NSU; he will travel to Washington, D.C., with the Council of Student Body Presidents to lobby on behalf of students in Louisiana.

Nelson said he was concerned about the trip due to the recent government shutdown and urged SGA senators to pay attention to politics.

“Make sure you’re keeping yourself politically informed,” Nelson said. “[As] SGA members, certain things that the government does directly affects us and what we are capable of doing or not doing.”

“People look to us for political advice in a time where, I think, college students primarily want to focus on social issues [but also] fiscal and monetary issues.”

Nelson continued with his report, discussing other leadership opportunities for SGA, including the American Student Government Association’s New Orleans Student Government Training Conference on Feb. 10, which several senators will attend.

Another initiative beginning this semester is the restoration of trees on the Natchitoches campus. Nelson met with a team of arborists from the National Historic Society and ecologist Dr. Margaret Cochran of the Louisiana Scholars’ College to determine where and which type of trees can be replanted.

This initiative follows the loss of several historic trees over the past year.

SGA meetings are held every Monday at 6 p.m. in Room 320 of the Friedman Student Union. Follow @thecurrentsauce on Twitter for live coverage of weekly meetings and updates on all things SGA.