The Student Government Association met on Tuesday Oct. 5 to discuss several bills, as well as other executive reports.

The meeting opened up with a guest speaker. Dr. Jennifer Tougas, director of parking and transportation, spoke with senators about the services and changes expected within the realm of transportation on campus.

This included talks of an annual parking tag subscription service, in which students could opt in to pay off their parking tags by the month. This idea is still in debate but is being heavily considered by the department of parking and transportation, according to Tougas. She also elaborated on existing services, such as the TopperTaxi, an on-demand van service students can utilize. 

Tougas is also the Interim Assistant Vice President of Business Services on campus. Tougas, along with senate participation, discussed first-day access book services implemented at the WKU store and the pros and cons of the service. Other aspects of the bookstore were discussed, including the lack of older editions of textbooks available, and the rental service.

“I’ve learned more about the bookstore operations over the past year, and it’s much more complex than I would have thought,” Tougas said. 

The meeting resumed with brief remarks from student body president Matthew Wininger, followed by remarks from executive vice president Me’Lon Craighead. Craighead announced facility senate applications will still be accepted until next Tuesday, due to fewer signups than anticipated. 

Director of Public Relations Alexis Courtenay announced changes to graphics on the Instagram SGA page. The page has gained traction since the start of the fall semester. 

Speaker of the Senate Tess Welch announced progress in getting a formal voting system set up, thanks to persistent talks with the IT department. She also announced that flu shots are now available at the Gilbert Graves clinic on campus. 

“Do your part and get vaccinated,” Welch said.

Committee Head Shelby Robertson stated her plans for a proposal that would fund a scholarship specially designed for rural students. Committee Head Alex Sissel announced plans to launch an initiative to have all SGA members take a Title IX training module. 

Senator Garrison Reed received the Senator of the month award for the month of September.

Bill 2.21f was voted on at the meeting, which discussed preventing the Speaker of the Senate from voting on legislation, as to not let the Speaker remain biased. The vote was 21-2 in favor of the bill.

Bill 3.21f was voted on, which sought to overturn a bylaw written in 2007, which is no longer observed by SGA. This is due to a massive scrub of information during the fall of 2007. The vote was in unanimous consent in favor of passing the bill. 

Bill 4.21f was also voted on, regarding another outdated bylaw regarding staff and faculty senate assignments. The vote was also in unanimous consent in favor.

Resolution 1.21f was discussed last, which addressed the lack of an advisor evaluation system. The vote was 21-2 in favor, therefore the resolution was passed, marking the first resolution to be passed by the 21st senate of the Student Government Association. 

News reporter Jake Jones can be reached at [email protected].