Asem Abdelfattah
Staff Writer
Updates to the Trojan Center, the pet therapy room and the leash law were all topics of discussion at the Student Government Association’s meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Freshman Forum representative Alex Mote, a freshman chemistry major from Prattville and chairman of FF’s student welfare committee, proposed a resolution to the SGA that would improve the Trojan Center by bringing microwave ovens for the students to use and install security cameras to increase safety.
The resolution was passed.
Freshman Forum conducted a survey that more than 230 students participated in. The FF used the data gathered to understand what students really want, before writing and presenting the resolution.
“We had a survey with more than 230 students who shared their ideas and suggestions,” Mote said. “We found that many international students were frustrated that they couldn’t bring food to campus, especially the ones who don’t have meal plans.
“So we came up with the microwave idea,” Mote said. “We think it will be very beneficial for all students on the commuter meal plan.”
The survey also revealed that students desired to add cameras for increased safety in TC.
“From our survey, we found that some students were concerned that there aren’t any cameras in the bookstore,” Mote said. “When we went to check it out ourselves, we found that TC as a whole doesn’t have any cameras, hence the resolution.
“We hope the TC would just be the beginning.”
Senator Caitlin Smith, a senior political science major from Panama City, Florida, and chair of public relations and marketing, invited everyone to the first meeting for the new pet therapy room.
The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m., Nov. 4, in room 119 in TC. All attendees must have a student ID.
“The purpose of the meeting is to discuss updates, brainstorm new ideas and talk about how we would go about creating a committee,” Smith said.
Smith also proposed a new resolution, to be discussed and voted on next week, to apply a modified leash law resolution.
The proposal came after a petition signed by more than 700 students asking for the ban of pets on campus to be lifted and a leash law to be instituted.
William Mangum, a senior excersice science major from Montgomery and president of the Student Alumni Association, said that he decided to start the petiton during their Puppies on the Quad event, Friday, Nov. 4, to see how many student would want a leash law.
“This petition was impromptu and mostly in response to SGA voting down the prior bill proposed last week,” Mangum said. “Since Puppies on the Quad was already scheduled, I added the petition to the event.
“It was my personal decision and idea to create a petition to see if students wanted to allow leashed pets on campus. I started Puppies on the Quad last semester soon after becoming the Student Alumni Association President, since then I have advocated bringing leashed pets back to Troy’s campus.”
According to Smith, the new resolution is different than the previous one that wasn’t passed.
“This time it’s different,” Smith said. “There aren’t any registeration or fees, it is just allowing pets with leashes on campus.
“Pets are on campus everyday anyway, a leash law will just make it offical,” Smith said.
Smith encourages students who are passionate about pets and interested in supporting this resolution to attend the next SGA meeting in Hawkins Hall 122 on Tuesday, Nov. 15, to show their support.
The SGA also passed the constituions of the Badminton Club, Sociology Student Association of Troy University, and Ada Sigma Delta. The constitution of Table Tennis Club was tabled for next week.
