The University of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) has experienced another very successful year, with events from Fresh Fest right through to the Last Lecture serving to engage and enlighten students.

The 2009-2010 year kicked off with the biggest ULSU event of them all, Fresh Fest. This year's edition solidified the tradition of the event at the University and students can look forward to it becoming an annual celebration.

This year we saw returning students take over as volunteers, following in the footsteps of volunteers from the previous year who had ran for co-ordinator and general assembly positions," says Jeremy Girard, ULSU president. "Fresh Fest is more than a student retention program, it is critical for establishing friend networks among new students and in creating a welcoming environment."

As the year progressed, Global Justice Week, Peak Week and the SACPA Student Speaker Challenge all helped to accomplish executive council's goal of establishing academic events for the student body.

"Creating an environment that enhances the educational experience is part of our mission," says Girard.

The Students' Union strives to offer services that aid in the success of each and every student that enters one of the U of Ls campuses, whether it is in Lethbridge, Calgary or Edmonton. Among the initiatives, executive council was able to contribute to was the growth in use of and contribution to the Test Bank, the transformation of the Food Bank delivery system, the establishment of a free income tax service and a revamping of the Used Book Sale.

"All of these are ongoing projects, and it is important to get new executives to bring in fresh motivation and ideas to continue this progress," says Girard.

The ULSU also engaged in a constitutional referendum, created a Quality Initiatives Proposal Fund Agreement and updated the building agreement between the ULSU and the University.

On the political stage, it was a very progressive year for lobbying. The ULSU, through the Council of Alberta University Students (CAUS), lobbied the provincial government in the wake of the announcement that it would entertain proposals for an increase in tuition.

"I have been so humbled by the work it takes to manage the ULSU, as well as the University, and without everyone's help this experience would not have been as amazing as it was for me," says Girard.