The floor of the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) wrestled with recent on-campus pedestrian accidents and focused on the safety of students at Wednesday's meeting.
"There will be a traffic analysis done soon on North Eagleville Road," said Andrew Marone, an 8th-semester political science major and USG president. "Leaders on-campus have been talking to state officials as what can be done to measure the traffic on the road."
Options to increase safety on North Eagleville Road include making signs brighter as well as increasing the lighting, both of which are more short term goals until the analysis can be done, Marone said.
Meghan Perrone, a 4th-semester public health and sociology double major and East campus representative, brought up re-creating "safety walks," a measure provided in the past. On these "safety walks," students would walk around campus to report problems such as broken lights.
Other topics included pending legislation of books and loans as well as safety issues on campus.
External Affairs Chairperson Bob Slattery, a 4th-semester economics major, reported two new bills that have recently been proposed to the Connecticut Legislature. The two bills, both greatly affecting college students, include an interest-free student loan system, which would abolish the loan rates for students, and a textbook rental system, according to Slattery. This system would allow students to rent books at about $60 to $100 a semester, Slattery said.
The Student Recreation Facility was also a hot topic. Barry Feldman, chief operating officer at UConn, recognized the need for an enlargement of the building or a building of a new center, Marone said.
"It's more of a question where to place it, how to go about building it and whether or not expanding the existing center would be more practical," Marone said. "The new Arjona and Monteith building is the main focus right now though."
Marone mentioned that there have been 12 T-shirt design submissions for the Spring Weekend T-shirt contest.
"We have a front design, mostly a message as it has been in the past. It went over really well at the Spring Weekend Committee meeting," Marone said.
Louis Gentile, an 8th-semester finance major and chairperson of the funding board asked the Senate to approve over $9,000 in funding for the Jewish Association as well as Husky Entertainment, both student-run organizations on campus.
The Senate approved over $5,000 for the Jewish Association to pay for a to rabbi speak off-campus, Gentile said.
Husky Entertainment asked for $3,520 for an artist to record in a professional studio. The profits made on the CD will be paid back to USG for the recording fee, and was considered fundraising, Gentile said.
"I've had experience with recording and this is a great fee for the use of the studio. I've heard the student's previous CDs and I don't doubt that USG will get their money back," Gentile said.
Much is being planned for the months ahead including events such as Bark for Beer, and Spring Weekend, Marone said.
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