SGA discusses theater department, electronic scooters
Larry Schou, the Dean of the Fine Arts Department, spoke at Tuesday’s Student Government Association meeting to inform Senate on how the department has used its funding.
“I would say three quarters of it is health and safety,” Schou said.
The money is partially being used to purchase new wood for theater sets. The wood that the theater department uses now is bent, Schou said.
Some of the funding will also go to the opera program, which has existed for seven years and has already won five national awards, Schou said.
Carson Zubke, SGA President, said he’s noticed the theater department’s efforts.
“They’ve been doing good work. I really like that we have free theater tickets for students now,” Zubke said. “I’m really interested to see how student attendance grows at the theater productions.”
SGA also spent time discussing how to inform students of the available legal services on-campus. Seth Klentz is an attorney who students can speak to for legal advice. He’s planning on giving a speech this semester about student rights. SGA is hoping to schedule his speech in the MUC Pit, so that his words will reach more students than they would at an SGA meeting.
“There’s been situations in the past where students just aren’t aware of what the proper procedures are when they get into an encounter with a police officer,” Zubke said. “Sometimes that situation can escalate because they aren’t sure what the process is for that.”
One law Zubke discussed at the meeting was the current legislation regarding electronic scooters on college campuses. Zubke said electronic scooters are cost-efficient and environmentally friendly because they produce no emissions. To know more about Illinois electric scooter laws and other areas, you can consult a professional.
“They’re super cost-efficient for students,” Zubke said. “This would be something that could maybe help alleviate parking issues.”
The current roadblock is that these scooters are classified as motor vehicles under the legislation and therefore are regulated the same way as motor vehicles.
SGA also discussed an old Coyote Cash machine that they own. Zubke said it could be used by student organizations in the future.
“One option we’ve talked about is let’s say you wanted to sell some shirts or something at the front desk or you wanted to sell tickets for an event you’re having at the front desk in the MUC, you could reserve with them like Oct. 22,” Zubke said.“And the front desk would be able to swipe students’ cards and take Coyote Cash to pay for whatever you’re selling.”
All that money would go back to the organization, Zubke said. While phone apps currently exist for transferring money, Zubke said he thinks the machine could be useful.
“I know a lot of the mobile platforms like Venmo and those types of things are more convenient now, so we’re trying to make a case to make this relevant again,” Zubke said.
