Leanne Clark is a student at BYU who has a hearing disability. Clark has participated with the Student Advisory Council (SAC) for the past year. She has been able to help the council by researching what can be done at the university to better help students with hearing disabilities.

Many teachers use video presentations in the classroom. Video presentations can be used as effective teaching tools, but what happens to the students who struggle with hearing disabilities if the videos do not include closed captions? If no closed captions are made available with the videos then students with hearing disabilities are going to have to find some other way to get the information that other students without hearing problems easily attained through the video.

Clark has helped to research this issue at BYU. Working with the Learning Resource Center, Clark has come to the realization that BYU is doing all that it can do.

"Leanne has been a dedicated SAC rep this year and has really worked hard to research this issue," said Nate Ward, assistant student leadership director for BYUSA.

Members of SAC research issues that are important to students and administrators, and can improve the resources at BYU. After conducting adequate research, SAC members look for solutions to the issues.

This year, the Student Advisory Council is made up of a council of about 36 students and they have researched approximately 50 different issues throughout the year.

Jose Saenz, an executive director for SAC, said "we are here to better serve the students and also to find ways to improve the campus so students can have a better BYU experience."

One of the ways that SAC receives input from students about their concerns is through Bright Ideas. Bright Ideas gives students an opportunity to make suggestions to administrators, through SAC. When the Student Advisory Council receives a bright idea that they feel can benefit many members of the BYU community, they start their research.

"SAC can make a difference for students at BYU by soliciting and working with administration to implement feasible suggestions," said Adam Ruri, BYUSA president 2008-2009.

Brian Williams, vice president of SAC said that the research that SAC does is very balanced.

They look at all sides of the issue at hand, positive, negative, legal and financial.

This winter semester, members of SAC have focused their group research on four major issues: campus safety, go green, devotional attendance and diplomas.

With campus safety, representatives from SAC have worked with the campus police and the Provo City Police Department to see what can be done to make our crosswalks safer. In the past there was a program called "safe ride."

This program gave students an opportunity to get a ride home from school so that they did not have to walk home alone. This program was later disbanded. The Student Advisory Council is currently looking at the possibilities of getting "safe ride" reinstated.

Go green is another issue that SAC has been researching. They have been researching how BYU can be more environmentally friendly. Through their research, SAC has come to the conclusion that BYU is all ready doing much to be environmentally friendly. SAC is now researching how they can make recycling easier for BYU students.

The Student Advisory Council also researches issues for the administration. It was the administration who asked the Student Advisory Council to research devotional attendance. After research is concluded, the council is able to make suggestions to the administrators.

SAC has spent time this year researching graduate diplomas. Graduates know that the diploma that they received did not list the majors that they graduated in. A student who graduates right now majoring in Music/Dance/Theater will receive a diploma that says, "Bachelor of Fine Arts."

The council is currently researching the possibility of having each student's major printed on their diploma. This is an issue that SAC will continue to discuss. Administrators have made it clear that if this issue is approved, it would not be retroactive, meaning that students that have already graduated can not have a new diploma with their major printed on it.

The Student Advisory Council has also sponsored several "Meet the Dean" programs throughout the year. "Meet the Dean" gives students an opportunity to meet with their college dean. This year they had an average of 40 students in attendance at "Meet the Dean," and a high of 110 students.

"When we started creating value for students they started coming," Kizerian said.

The Student Advisory Council has done much this year to make the BYU experience better for students and administrators.

Just as Leanne Clark has benefited from SAC research, many other individuals will have a better BYU experience because of the work that SAC does.