The Associated Student Body Senate met Tuesday night and outlined a vision for what it plans to accomplish during the spring semester. Senators discussed several ideas surrounding how they think the campus should move forward.
ASB Senators outlined pieces of legislation they are considering introducing on behalf of the student body. Sen. Coco McDonnell, chairwoman of the External Affairs Committee, said she plans to possibly introduce legislation that would lower printing costs, add lamp posts in Whirlpool Trails to make the area safer and allow students to have concealed carry permits for firearms.
“Several people on (the External Affairs Committee) and I have also been discussing passing a concealed carry bill for our campus,” McDonnell said. “A school in Texas did this not long ago, and we are looking at what they did to make that happen.”
The current policy on firearm possession from the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board states, “The Board recognizes that the possession of pistols, firearms or other weapons on any of its institutional premises or at its institutions or student functions off- campus by persons other than duly authorized law enforcement officials” can put others at risk and are, currently, not allowed on campus.
ASB Vice President Elam Miller said some of the ideas like McDonnell’s are still “in the discussion and research stage” and will take a longer time to achieve.
Miller said he plans to guide discussion toward projects such as “a sidewalk behind the new parking garage, more representation (in the Senate) for students who are veterans, a syllabus ‘bank’ before registering for classes to allow students to know about the course they’re signing up for, allowing more buildings to be open 24 hours a day and water tanks for baseball games.”
This semester, ASB will also have a representative who is dedicated to working with Athletics on the design of the new Landshark mascot.
ASB President Dion Kevin did not wish to comment on any of the ideas presented until he had reviewed the legislation, but he said his vision for his last semester as president is to “finish out his term strong and solidify relations” on campus.
Kevin also said he wants to leave the administration in great shape for the next president to transition in smoothly and continue moving the campus forward.
Some of the ideas Kevin said he would like to see come to fruition are changing the “qualifications to run for Homecoming Court to a more equitable” standard to make sure people who are running are dedicated to the campus, adding a Purple Heart section on the Circle to honor veterans and implementing a library fee in tuition to allow the library to remain open 24 hours a day for five days a week and allow limited printing.
“We are one of the few universities in the SEC who doesn’t have a library fee,” Kevin said. “This process would have to be approved by the Institutions of Higher Learning.”
