By Valerie Gauman Lucas
The University’s Student Government Association (SGA) meeting this week focused largely on issues pertaining to residential life. There were three resolutions in this category that passed, a new housing questionnaire, concerns aboiut overhead lighting and room furniture.
The room furniture resolution, written by SGA senators Brian Marquis and Jackie Crawford, joins a similar furniture resolution passed March 4 concerning furniture on South Campus, and it was also written by Marquis. Its purpose is to “replace all outdated furniture in the residence halls.”
During the debate on the resolution, one senator recalled his experience living with a broken bed and fighting to get a new one for his Colonial Square dorm. “It got to the point where they knew my name when I called up. I went in one day and said, ‘Okay, who do I give my bill for the chiropractor to?’ I had a bed the next day.”
The new housing questionnaire, written by Crawford, is based on an assumption that the assignment process is not effective in matching up compatible students. The resolution aims to “provide a more in-depth questionnaire to better analyze incoming students and then pair students based on the questionnaire results.”
“I think it’s great, when I first applied for housing here as a freshman, I was surprised at how simple the housing application was, said Allison Thomas, a sophomore secondary education major, in response to the resolution. “I thought they were going to go into more detail. The questions are so simple that I could be matched up with basically anyone.”
Lerner, a freshman studying finance and psychology, wrote the overhead lighting resolution. The resolution calls for the addition of overhead lighting to Nassau and Suffolk Halls, two of the residence halls lacking permanent light fixtures in the rooms. Aside from students having to spend their own money to purchase lamps, the resolution also cites the “many restrictions on lamps and lights,” which make hinders efforts for adequate lighting.
Lerner recalled his experience with the lack of lighting and said “originally, I didn’t care about it [during orientation], but then I ended up living there… It’s a real issue: we only have one lamp, and it is broken.”
In response to the overwhelming amount of legislation pertaining to issues with residential life that were passed, Senator Tammy Kim, a sophomore and employee of Residential Programs, spoke in defense of the department, saying that “they have a plan and many of the issues that were brought up tonight, they are working on.”
Additionally, a class council resolution, which would create a council for each class year, was brought to the table by Rules Committee Chairman Jared Berry. Administrators hoped it would pass, but it failed.
However, another proposal by Berry passed, allowing for the Senate to increase its size from 51 to 62, in order to accommodate the large amount of students interested in becoming senators.