Story by Wesley McIntyre / Contributing Writer
The MTSU Student Government Association held their weekly meeting this Thursday, in which the senate proposed five new resolutions.
The Thursday meeting was the the last caucus meeting for SGA, meaning that it’s the last meeting of the semester for senators to propose new legislation.
SGA Resolution 10-17-S was proposed by Senator Wech. The bill would require the outside corridor door between the Student Union Building dining area and the Blue Raider Grill to be left unlocked and to instead have the doors to the dining area and Blue Raider Grill locked. This would allow overnight access to the water fountain and bathrooms inside the building.
This resolution was specifically targeted to appeal to late-night runners.
“When I came into MTSU, I was told about how Murfreesboro and MTSU is very active friendly,” Wech said.
He continued, saying that he enjoys running later at night and noticed that there aren’t any sources of water nearby.
“It might be good if we had some water sources that were available,” Wech said.
The resolution was met with concerns regarding safety issues, such as who will monitor activity in the bathroom after hours.
Senator Breyhana Johnson said, “I understand what you’re saying, and I respect your idea. But I still feel like it’s not really necessary, and it can make campus vulnerable in a way.”
Johnson continued, saying that some residence halls, such as the Scarlett Commons, are unlocked after hours, thus eliminating the need for this resolution.
Another Senator asked how the video cameras in the buildings would identify someone who comes in there, seeing how many students stay on campus. They suggested coming up with a way to identify students who break rules in that area.
Senator Wech said that he would address security risks of his resolution at the next meeting.
In addition, Senator Wech proposed SGA Resolution 11-17-S.
The resolution would appeal to commuters, the majority of MTSU students, by requiring MTSU Parking Services to open the Bragg Building lot to all vehicles with either a Green, Red or White parking pass after 4:30 p.m.
Senator April Carroll expressed great support for the resolution, saying, “Not only will this help the commuter students, it will also help the student workers at the library. I’m glad you’re doing something about it.”
SGA Resolution 12-17-S was proposed by Senator Malpass, who just recently succeeded in passing resolutions 8-17-S and 9-17-S, both promoting the inclusion of gender neutral bathrooms on campus.
The resolution would “relocate the three handicapped parking spots in the white lot section of the north side of the Student Union lot to the south side of the lot, closest to the Student Union Building.”
SGA Resolution 13-17-S was proposed by Senator Emily Lupo. The resolution would require professors to provide exact percentages along with a letter grade to students on progress reports.
“I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from students, and some will come up to me and say, ‘on my midterm report I have a C or a B, but I don’t really know where I’m standing,’” Lupo said.
Senator Johnson raised the concern that some professors have their own schedule and should not be forced to add the additional specific percentage.
“I don’t know if adding that section would be effective,” Johnson said.
Senator Monica Haun proposed SGA Resolution 14-17 S, which would put clocks in all classrooms.
“Clocks in classrooms would help ensure professors end classes on time,” Haun declared.
Haun added that the resolution would also require Facility Services to purchase the clocks and make sure they’re working.
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I am in support of Resolution 10-17-S that Senator Wech proposed. As a student that would work out in the REC, I remember making the long walk back to Lyons hall many nights and being very thirsty by the time I got back to my dorm. The walk doesn’t seem that long but it is a mile, and along the straight path I am unaware of any water fountains besides in the BAS and library. It would be nice to have a place that students could just walk in to get hydrated and to use the restroom. To Senator Johnson’s point, I don’t think it would leave the campus very vulnerable because there are so many cameras surrounding the area that would reveal a suspect’s identity and installing a camera isn’t that expensive.
As a student that has most of his classes in the Bragg Building and that has lived both on and off campus, I know that the BAS parking lot is underutilized after 4:30. By making the lot available to all students it would make it a lot easier for students in the RIM program to park close to the building for the night studio sessions. I really hope proposal 11-17-S gets passed, Senator Wech.
I am also a fan of the proposed resolution 12-17-S. I am in a boot right now with a broken ankle, so it would be nice to have handicap spots located nearer to the buildings. I agree with Senator Johnson about Resolution 13-17-S, I don’t think adding percentages to grades would help students that much and would only add more work for professors. I support Senator Haun’s proposal Resolution 14-17-S that would add clocks into classrooms. This addition would keep students from looking at their phones to check the time and inevitably getting distracted. I also like the idea because I am often held over in classes by last minute quizzes, and walking across campus on crutchs from the Bragg Building to the music building in 5 minutes rather 15 minutes is a big difference.