Student Government Association senators sit around a table in the University Center Memphis Room Thursday afternoon answering questions from the audience during their town hall.
The Student Government Association hosted a town hall meeting on Thursday in the University Center Memphis Room revolving mostly around recent sexual assault allegations.
Many students at the town hall meeting, like Grace Delgado, a senior fashion merchandising major, came out to talk because of concerns regarding the safety of the students at the U of M.
“When there is a robbery, we almost immediately find out about it,†Delgado said. “I don’t understand why this doesn’t also happen when there is a rape on campus – it puts the students at U of M in danger because we are unaware of what is going on.â€
Delgado mentioned the recent sexual assault crime claims that allegedly took place at Carpenter Complex, Centennial Place and Gather on Southern. Though the Gather is technically off-campus, She wanted to know what the SGA’s plans were because “no one at the school was even notified about it.â€
Cody Averett, a SGA Senator, agreed students needed more clarification when a crime occurs on campus and said they were trying to figure out how to fix it.
SGA also touched on two bills they have just passed: one was a bill to add more streetlights on Patterson Street, and another recommended adding a single stall bathroom in the UC by the Dunkin’ Donuts. SGA passed this bill with a future plan to have at least one single-stall bathroom in each building on the main campus.
“This is to cater to the members of the LGBTQ+ community, mothers and handicapped people,†Averett said.
SGA President Drew Gilmore said construction for the parking garage on Southern Avenue would begin this December. The land bridge is also set to begin construction at the end of this year, while construction on Patterson Street and Walker Avenue isn’t set to begin until next year.
Another SGA senator, Samuel Morris, discussed the U of M’s new emergency warning service, LiveSafe, which replaced the Tiger Text service. This app enables direct communication with the community safety officials using text, picture, video and audio. LiveSafe also lets its users request a ride, share their location during emergencies and have access to safety resources and phone numbers. Morris said not everyone knows about the app, so the students at the meeting should spread the word about it.
“I am excited to be a part of SGA because it is a platform that people can use their opinions for,†Angel McCarty, senator for the Loewenburg College of Nursing, said. “We are here for your opinions to be heard and to translate them into actions.â€
