In this week’s Student Government Association (SGA) meeting, many SGA members voiced their concerns in regard to the snowstorm that recently hit a large part of the east coast. Many members felt strongly about campus conditions on Tuesday, discussing how they felt unsafe walking and driving around campus.
Senator Mark Barham brought attention to with how parking on Tuesday morning was not safe for drivers. Senator Maribeth Stotler-Watkins added how some of the sidewalks were not cleared as well, making it hard for students to navigate to class, some even needed to walk in the street.
David Love, Director of Landscaping and Grounds Management, spoke on behalf of Facilities Management, stating how crews were working diligently to make sure conditions were as best as they could possibly be, even during the storm. Love continued on to state how this was not “a typical storm” that included more than 12 inches of snow along with high winds.
Multiple members of SGA inquired about what is taken into consideration when making a decision on whether or not to keep the university open. Love replied, “(the students) safety is the number one priority”.
Love reiterated that 60 percent of staff and faculty live more than 20 miles away from campus, this is taken into consideration when making a final decision as to whether or not it is safe to keep the university open.
Love urged the SGA to be cautious of rain and freezing temperatures in the upcoming forecast.
SGA President Constance Garner added that if anyone else had any additional issues with campus safety related to the snow, that they could discuss them with SGA executive board after the meeting.
Also in open forum, Senator Tonisha Pitchford introduced the idea for maintenance staff to leave a note on the resident’s room letting them know that they were present and if the issue was in fact fixed when a work order was requested. In some cases, the resident was unaware if maintenance had in fact visited the residence for a reported problem if they were not present when crews were there.
In moving on to the Student Finance Committee report, the SGA approved to allocate $605.00 to Delta Sigma Pi for an upcoming conference. This allocation will serve at least eight students to attend for the duration of two nights.
