In his State of the University Address, outgoing Student Senate President Chad Wade encouraged students to engage their Senate – a body that he said wields considerable control over the budget and other policy issues, compared to organizations at most universities.

“I cannot stress how lucky we are to attend Eau Claire, from a student government standpoint,” he said at noon on Wednesday at The Cabin in Davies Center.

Refuting what he said was a view of Student Senate as an elitist club, Wade warned that student apathy could result in a future loss of Senate power.

“Government is there for those who show up,” he said.

Wade outlined various accomplishments of the 48th session, including increased cooperation between the city and the university on parking issues, 24-hour access to Phillips Hall, a library study area and a free ticket program for music and theatre arts presentations in Haas Fine Arts Center.

He also called the revision of Senate bylaws a victory.

The 48th session altered bylaws regarding the differential tuition calendar, the criteria for becoming a campus organization, the Information Technology Commission budget, Senate Public Relations Committee and the Senate election process, he said.

Wade also discussed challenges faced by the Senate during his tenure.

One of the most controversial acts was the decision to fund The Flip Side, an alternative campus magazine, he said.

“I am proud of the 48th session,” he said. “An issue like this would have engulfed a lesser Senate.”

The controversy over service learning project guidelines also challenged the 48th session, he said.

Charges that Senate acted in an uninformed manner while addressing the issue were unjustified, as senators are not constitutional scholars, he said.