The Student Government Association passed resolutions creating areas for breastfeeding and utilizing reusable bags for senators in Tuesday night’s meeting. 

Resolution 4-15-S which supports the “creation and maintenance of several private areas for women to express breast milk on campus for students, faculty, and staff” passed unanimously and without debate.

Seth Church, Chief of Staff and the author of the bill said that the problem was brought to him by a non-traditional student who had just had her third child.

“She felt she wasn’t provided an adequate to do so,” he said. “She felt that it was uncomfortable to some degree to be in an unlocked room over in the corner of a department hall.”

The resolution supports a long term and concrete place for women who need to breast feed on campus. Church said that there is no set number but that he would like no less than three. Church also said that hopefully this would cost nothing.

“Ideally we can get some smaller rooms for this that currently exist and reallocate them for this purpose,” he said. “Most ideal is to not spend any money.

Church said that it may not be a wide spread problem but it is still important.

“One of the most important things is that if these women feel uncomfortable or unhappy or unsafe on campus why would they come back,” he asked. “I think our goal is to get women who have recently given birth and are continuing their education, to keep continuing that education.”

A bill was also passed that proposes SGA uses reusable bags and containers to eliminate waste on campus.

Bill 3-15-S’s purpose is to increase sustainable behavior related to reduce waste on campus. SGA will fund the purchase of these reusable containers and use them for the month of April as a way to test out a new way to decrease waste.

At the end of the month, if successful there will be possibilities of implementing this campus wide.

SGA will fund the bags and containers which will total almost $500.

At the end of the pilot program the bags and containers will be returned to the SGA office and made accessible to all students, according to the resolution.

According to the resolution, “the elimination of single-use plastic bags and take-out containers will support Western Kentucky University’s Climate Action Plan by reducing the university’s carbon footprint.”

Resolution 2-15-S, which amended the Student Government Association’s Constitution in many ways, failed to pass with two thirds vote of full Senate, which is all 36 members.

During the guest speaker portion of the meeting Gary Meszaros, assistant vice president of auxiliary services and Jennifer Tougas, the director of parking and transportation.

Meszaros said that they will be adding a new meal plan option. It will be a 240 block plan. Which means that there will be 240 meals per semester, which means roughly 15 per week. It will be around $1,500, according to Meszaros.

Executive officer candidates were also announced by SGA President Nicki Taylor. Jay Todd Richie, the current speaker of the senate and Brian Chism, a senator are running for President. For Executive Vice President Nolan Miles, the current Vice President is running. For administrative vice president, Liz Kohler and William Berry announced their candidacy.

“I think I can say with confidence no matter how that turns out it looks like we’re going to have a good big three in executive body next year,” said Taylor.