The SGA Senate passed five pieces of legislation and sent three to committee at its meeting Jan. 11.
Among them was an act allocating the apportionment of seats for the 29th Senate. Under the changes, the College of Nursing gained a seat and the College of Education lost one.
The SGA also passed resolutions that encouraged the University to provide free Dental Admission Test exam booklets at Gorgas, Rodgers and Bruno libraries and offer information about the exam on their website.
Resolution calling on UA to offer The New York Times as an institutional resource — passed
The resolution encourages the University to offer a New York Times subscription to everyone with a UA email address. Students already have access to ProQuest, which contains archives from the New York Times but does not provide a subscription to the newspaper.
SGA Vice President for Academic Affairs Johnny Foster said the news outlet could be used to aid in research in a “very productive way.”
“It’s also used for daily intake of news from across the globe from a very reputable source, which is of high importance to our students to be informed on current events,” Foster said.
The regular price of a New York Times subscription is $25 every 4 weeks.
The resolution was also authored by President Collier Dobbs and was endorsed by the Faculty Senate, the president of the Graduate Student Association and more.
Resolution calling on UA to offer discounted student rides — sent to Student Affairs Committee
The resolution encourages the University to explore options for funding a discounted rideshare program using the Uber and Lyft services to address drunk driving.
The legislation states that many off-campus students do not use Crimson Ride and that some may be kept from using rideshare services due to financial barriers.
Culverhouse Sen. Jenni Page, the author of the resolution, said Uber and Lyft make deals with other universities to create discounted rides for students, which may include discounted rates or a set number of free rides per month.
“Drunk driving is an issue that touches a lot of students in a lot of different ways, and I think that this is the first step towards a safer campus,” Page said.
A resolution to increase crosswalk time length between the Quad and Rose Administration Building — sent to Student Affairs Committee
The resolution encourages the University to increase the crosswalk timer near Denny Chimes and Rose Administration Building to allow pedestrians to pass for 35 seconds.
According to the resolution, the crosswalk allows passage for 23 seconds, whereas other intersections on University Boulevard, like the one between Reese Phifer and Autherine Lucy Hall, give pedestrians 25 to 35 seconds.
Arts and Sciences Sen. Cassidy Matwiyoff, the resolution’s author, said the extended time will allow more students to get to their classes on time, especially those who cross the street at times when traffic is the heaviest.
Matwiyoff said she plans to start working with the UA Police Department Traffic Safety Unit if the resolution passes.
