Tuesday’s Student Government Association meeting lacked any votes on resolutions or bills, but was filled with informal discussion about the current affairs of WKU.

SGA President Nicki Taylor said she recently discussed many things with President Gary Ransdell, including the limited smoking campus resolution passed in last week’s meeting. Taylor said Ransdell is in the process of creating a ‘smoking task force’ consisting of students, faculty and staff in order to implement the specifics of the policy that go beyond the resolution.

The passed resolution would limit tobacco use to 39 designated areas. The resolution also says the Administrative Council will create a plan, which would decrease the smoking areas over three years. The policy doesn’t limit electronic cigarettes or smokeless tobacco.

Taylor said she also sent Ransdell the alcohol resolution passed last semester. The resolution supported amending WKU’s alcohol policy and the code of conduct to allow students age 21 or older to purchase and possess alcohol on campus.

Taylor also discussed plans for a new parking garage. Taylor said it will be up to SGA to determine if a student fee will be implemented to pay for the parking structure and if so, whether the parking structure will be entirely funded by student fees or if parking permits will help alleviate the cost. Taylor said she has been “assured” that the student fee would have a sunset clause.

“So as soon as the bond debt on the parking structure would be paid off, the student fee would go away,” she said.

 More controversial matters were discussed in the student speaker section of the meeting. Among them was a resolution in new business that will be up for vote during next Tuesday’s meeting. The resolution, Resolution 2-15-S, would support amending the constitution of SGA. In one of the ‘WHEREAS’ clauses of the resolution, the Gatton Academy Senator would be made into an‘Ex-Officio’ member of the SGA senate and would encourage and assist Gatton to set up their own governing body similar to SGA.

One Gatton student, Lucas Knight, said he felt like the resolution would be restricting. 

“I can’t rationalize why this body would seek to deny students who want to better their…own environment,” he said.

SGA also approved Brian Chism as Student Affairs Chair and Elicia Tillis as Cultural and Diversity Affairs Chair. The graduate senate seat is also open. 

The next SGA meeting will be held Feb. 17.