The two main topics discussed at Student Government Association’s Nov.16 Town Hall meeting were the fate of the campus garden and whether or not students should be able to carry guns on campus.
Tennessee legislation currently allows full-time faculty and staff to carry a concealed weapon, while students only have the right to have registered guns in their vehicles.
During the meeting, most students were against the issue, but about three voiced their opinions in favor of students having guns on campus. Those three students mentioned how the law would benefit female students who are harassed and those who are held at gunpoint, offering them a form of self-defense.
Those against the law questioned what kind of classes and training students should participate in if they are allowed to carry registered guns on campus and questioned how the law would be enforced.
“The decision for students to be able to carry guns will be decided in January,” Jared Moses, student government president, said at the meeting.
The second topic discussed was the campus garden and its possible fate as a future parking lot because of the demand for more convenient spaces.
Many students and faculty commented about keeping the garden space in the same location, changes in parking arrangements and, if the garden is relocated, possibly moving it into an even bigger space on campus.
Moses said the decision will take into account student opinions, but they have not come to agreement on any solution as of yet. Generally, student government only has Town Hall meetings once a semester, but they may have two more during the spring semester, according to Moses.
All questions and topics at the Town Hall meeting Wednesday will also be discussed Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Senate Chamber in the University Center during the Senate meeting.
The TIGUrS garden on the U of M campus will host its annual Earth Day celebration Wednesday.
University of Memphis health studies students Anna Vo and Alexander Schyer work with the plants in the Tigers Initiative for Gardening in Urban Settings (TIGUrS) community garden. The garden itself is a product of the “Green Fee,” and celebrated on Tiger Blue Goes Green Day. This day annually celebrates a variety of projects and initiatives that aim to conserve natural resources and introduce the concept of sustainability to students at the U of M.
