SGA passes parking lot reform, Barnes green study space resolutions
Mount Clemens senior Matthew King delivers his speech, "Beyond Heroes," to Central Michigan University's Student Government Association at their Feb. 10 meeting. King delivered the same speech at this year's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day brunch.
Resolutions in support of parking lot reform and the establishment of a “green study space” where Barnes Hall formerly stood made it through both the House and Senate of Central Michigan University’s Student Government Association at its Feb. 10 meeting.
The House passed the parking lot reform last week after CMU PD answered questions from both chambers, but the Senate opted to delay their vote by a week. The Senate had passed the Barnes green space resolution in November.
Now that both resolutions have passed both chambers, they’re official, and SGA can go to work advocating their messages.
Co-authored by Sen. Max Ranger and former House representative Josh Wright, the parking lot reform resolution proposes five patient-parking only spots near the clinic in Foust Hall, parking at North Art Studio past 2 a.m. and allowing student employees to park in the lot nearest their place of work.
Though the police seemed unconvinced the resolution’s tweaks could be implemented, and some senators remained skeptical of its narrow focus, it passed in the Senate by a vote of 6 to 4, with one abstention.
Vice President Lyndi Rose stressed the power of SGA legislation as “vessels of change,” which, while they may not be fully realized as written, can be influential tools in negotiations with the administration.
The resolution in support of the Barnes green study space, co-authored by Sens. Brandon McDonald and Kalli Walz in partnership with Facilities Management, lists student-focused amenities SGA would like to see at the former site of Barnes Hall. These include group hammock stations, solar-powered picnic and charging tables, sustainable vegetation and showcases of student artwork.
That doesn’t mean all those things will ultimately be there, House leader Anna Whitwam said before the vote. It means SGA supports the area’s development being beneficial to students.
Other business
Mount Clemens senior Matthew King opened last night’s meeting with a spoken word performance called “Beyond Heroes,” which he also performed at this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day brunch. His speech won this year’s oratorical contest and a standing ovation from SGA. It covers King’s journey toward social conscience and why a collective effort, rather than individual heroes, is required to overcome institutional racism.
Rose will present two years of data collected on her Menstrual Hygiene Product Initiative, which places free tampons and menstrual pads in several campus bathrooms, to the Trustees-Student Liaison Committee of the Board of Trustees on Wednesday.
She hopes the data will persuade the administration to support the program after she and President Jake Hendricks graduate this year.
Elections will be held later this semester for SGA's President, Vice President, treasurer and senator positions. Candidates for President and Vice President will need petitions with 500 student signatures, treasurer candidates will need 250 and senators will need 100. A packet with more information on how to run for office will be available Monday in the Student Involvement Center in the Bovee University Center.
