After the controversy last year, Student Council has made its transition from Stuco’s traditional role to its new, consolidated job which has changed how school activities are run and what Stuco has been doing in class this year.

Despite previous criticism, Stuco members say it has been effectively accomplishing school events and addressing important issues while other clubs have successfully taken over several previously Stuco-run activities.

So far Stuco has put on the Homecoming Parade, started the Renaissance program which recognizes Students of the Week, Month, and Year, gotten approved to paint firebirds around the school, started a raffle for home football games, brought back the Homecoming Bonfire and are working on presenting a proposal to maintain open lunch to the School Board.

Several clubs have been willing to take over activities to give Stuco the ability to focus on these other projects.

“We’ve had lots of clubs step up,” Jason Springer, Stuco sponsor said. “And it’s a neat thing because it makes the activities here in the building have a communal feel.  It’s not just one club doing it all.  It lets more clubs and more students get involved with the activities in the building.”

Link Crew took over the Firestarter Dance, FYI did the Homecoming Dance, and Hype Club hosted Powderpuff Football and Vol-He-Ball.  Environmental Club has already volunteered to organize Great Green Help later this year.  So far students seem to feel that other clubs have been as effective as Stuco in putting on school events that students will enjoy.

“They [other clubs] are doing it really well.  They’re putting a lot more effort into the single events then we were able to do in the past because we had to spread our resources around a lot more areas,” junior Nathan Herrman said.

Herrman, the Stuco treasurer, also believes having other clubs take over some of Stuco’s previous responsibilities has allowed Stuco to focus on internal issues like getting approval to decorate the school by replacing the Kansas State Assessment banners in the commons with paintings of a firebird and presenting a proposal to the School Board to help save open lunch.

“It’s a lot more effective.  We get a lot more done because we’re able to focus on a certain area,” Herrman said.

Khadijah Lane, also a junior in Stuco, concurs that Stuco has become more effective this year.

“We care more about what other people want.  We’re focusing on asking them questions instead of just doing things how we want,” Lane said.

Because of the student body’s strong opposition to shutting down open lunch, this year’s Stuco is going to collaborate with the Student Council at Lawrence High to formulate the proposal to defend open lunch.

However junior Jon McClees hasn’t seen much accomplished by Stuco and thinks that other clubs have been doing more for the school.

“Hype Inc has kind of taken over a lot of their old responsibilities in terms of the fun stuff like the Bonfire and Homecoming Week,” McClees said. “I think Stuco is more focused on the academic part of school rather than all the fun go crazy stuff.”

Aaron Groene, a senior at Free State, feels that Stuco has improved this year but still isn’t at the level Stuco was at during his sophomore year.

“Compared to last year I’m actually impressed with what they’ve done but my sophomore year Stuco was awesome and last year was a drop off,” Groene said. “They’ve had a slight comeback.