It's been an eventful year for the Undergraduate Student Government administration.

That was how outgoing USG President Justin Zartman described his term in office.

"There was never a dull moment; something was always going on -- it really kept me on my toes in good and bad ways," he said.

Zartman was sitting at his presidential desk in the USG office -- a place he has called home for the past year. On the bulletin board behind him is a picture of the moment he and Vice President Amanda Hudnall first heard they won the 2001 USG election. There are also photographs of him, his friends and some members of the executive cabinet, in addition to Post-Its with words of encouragement. On a file cabinet next to the desk, a framed photograph of Zartman shaking hands with former President Bill Clinton is also on display.

"To think back on the entire experience ... you started off the night you win feeling optimistic and ready to change the world -- then two weeks later we had the Village student protests," Zartman said. "It was active from day one and there were a lot of surprises during the course of our term."

The Zartman administration was beset by controversy, especially concerning the actions of USG Senate and its Conservative Coalition.

This was first ignited when senate censured Zartman during its Oct. 23 meeting for making public statements about reforming the University Park Allocation Committee.

Then on Jan. 29, senate enforced an executive order against him. The measure directed Zartman to solely represent the views of senate, and not his own, when lobbying state officials about tuition.

"Those were actions made by people with personal agendas," Zartman said. "That's what got students' attention, they read headline after headline of senate censuring me or funding the College Republicans trip, denying rape cards ... it just escalated."

USG Senate President Sean Clark acknowledged the struggle between branches.

"We definitely had conflict, which was good because that avoided a 'groupthink' mentality," he said. "There were things Justin pushed forward and we supported him on, and there were times when senate was getting things done and he helped out. But no one is going to deny there was a lot of tension."

The senate overturned two out of six presidential vetoes.

"Senate impacted my presidency," Zartman said. "The student body saw what it was doing and came to me asking questions, but that has always been my top priority -- to serve students."

He added that last month's elections proved constituents hold their government accountable for its actions.

"That was a great night for USG ... the record-breaking voter turnout ... students made it known they were not going to elect these people back into office," Zartman said. "It was nothing a single campaign did that brought students out, it was year-long, built up frustration toward senate."

Out of 10 current senators who ran for the 27 available seats, four were reelected.

While Zartman had differences of opinion with many senators, he expressed appreciation for the support of his 16-member cabinet.

"My staff really persevered, they were amazing and I will never be able to thank them enough," he said. "But I really couldn't have done anything without Amanda. She was my eternal crutch; we made every decision together."

Zartman and Hudnall made significant progress in their four platform goals.

They established the Community Education Department, which worked with the university administration on a diversity sticker campaign. These stickers were offered to downtown businesses and advertised a number for students to call if they experienced discrimination in the community.

Hudnall worked to have Exercise and Sport Activities credits count for attending recreational sports classes. This was in the form of a 75-minute Introduction to Cardiovascular Health course available for one credit.

She was also involved in an online apartment guide to make housing easier for students.

Although the goal to implement a late-night shuttle running from downtown to outlying townships was not completed, Zartman said his cabinet's efforts have changed the way the university views transportation.

"We are a team and worked together to survive," she said. "During the entire time, Justin stood true, didn't let anyone control him, remained positive, and was a constant force in USG."

Together the executive branch organized Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and Coaches vs. Cancer, a philanthropy to raise money for cancer research.

"My experience with Justin and Amanda was very positive, they supported all of my ideas and projects," said USG LGBTA Affairs Director Jennifer Storm.

Zartman does not regret any action he took during his term, only at times, what he described as his brash leadership style.

"Sometimes I would take my frustrations out on people I knew I could count on," he said. "I expected a lot from everyone involved."

However, Zartman is confident about the future of USG.

"Next year you have a group of optimistic people who have nothing to hold them back," Zartman said. "I think we've all learned something from this year."