The SGA Senate passed four pieces of legislation and sent three to committee during its meeting Thursday.
Resolution to increase accessibility of drinking straws — passed
The SGA unanimously passed a resolution that encourages the University to partner with the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics to increase the number of drinking straws at University-sponsored sporting events.
According to the resolution, increasing drinking straw accessibility can help students with physical disorders, such as those with muscle coordination or dexterity issues.
This comes after the resolution was sent to the Student Affairs Committee during the last SGA meeting. It was reintroduced onto the Senate floor with a favorable recommendation from the committee.
FYC act to implement alcohol awareness tabling — passed
The SGA unanimously passed a First Year Council act that orders the council to nominate a team of councilors who will work alongside the Student Judiciary in planning alcohol awareness tabling events.
FYC Speaker Kelby Olson said the tabling will provide students with information on how to consume alcohol responsibly and the dangers surrounding alcohol. He added that the issue particularly affects freshmen.
“We saw that there were a lot of freshmen who didn’t know their limits and didn’t know how to consume alcohol safely or responsibly,” Olson said. “So, when we saw all these issues, we thought, ‘This is a freshman issue that the First Year Council can help.’”
Olson said the volunteers will table outside the UA Student Center sometime in the spring with informational pamphlets and free drink covers.
Although Olson said that the event is still in its early stages, the SGA is working with the Student Judiciary to ensure that the event lives up to its standards and the Office of Student Conduct’s standards.
Resolutions to introduce free DAT prep books and exam information — sent to Academic Affairs Committee
The SGA sent two resolutions that encourage the University to provide more resources on the Dental Admission Test to the Academic Affairs Committee.
The first of these resolutions calls for the addition of free DAT prep books at Bruno Library, Gorgas Library and Rodgers Library. At Rodgers Library, the University already provides prep books for the Medical College Admission Test, the Graduate Record Examination and other standardized tests.
College of Arts and Sciences senator Ethan Pearson said the prep books would help pre-dental students familiarize themselves with the exam that is required by all dental schools in the United States.
“You got the MCAT and all that, but the DAT is kind of a lesser-known exam,” Pearson said. “I feel like it expresses that, as a university, we should try to help all of our students move into a successful life after undergrad.”
The second resolution encourages the University to add a DAT tab under the test prep section on the University Libraries website, where it will explain what the test is, how long it will be and other resources.
