Student Senate passed three bills during its Tuesday meeting, all seeking to improve transportation at SMU.
The first bill asks that the Mustang Express shuttle service be extended to include weekend hours. Bill authors say this would benefit campus residents as well as students and staff who do not own a car. They also argue that it’s more environmentally friendly.
“This is something that the student body would benefit from,” Co-author and parliamentarian Joseph Esau said. “At the end of the day, it’s really about providing a service that students have come back to us and say they need.”
The bill’s authors acknowledged that this was only the first step to actually acquiring weekend hours of the service.
“Hopefully this resolution will be a statement of support from the student body to pursue this issue further,” Esau said.
Esau roughly estimated that this would cost an additional $60,000 per month. He also said Senate would work with the University to find this money. Some senators, including Dedman II senator Alex Ehmke, argued against the bill because of the additional cost.
“We don’t even know how many students would use this service,” Ehmke said. “What if it’s only like 60 students a month? We could rent cars for 60 students a month for less than that. I wanted something more compelling and concrete for how to spend $60,000 a month. It’s just a lot of money.”
Bill authors said that Park ‘N Pony was behind the legislation, but at this point the main concern was money.
Bill authors noted that for international students especially, the issue of transportation is important.
They noted that many international students do not have cars at SMU and must rely on public transportation. Dedman I senator Aden Abiye told Senate that she has to walk to Mockingbird Station on the weekends, and she noted that it would be much safer if she was able to use the Mustang Express.
Perkins senator Grant Barnes told Senate that he was in full support of the bill, saying it was an “invaluable service” for those who live off-campus and use public transportation.
Senate also passed a bill that would ask Park ‘N Pony to stop ticketing after 4 p.m. on Mondays in several areas including Airline Garage, Moody Garage, Dyer Court, Sorority Row, Fraternity Row and the U Lot.
Student Body Vice President Austin Prentice said that this would benefit students who live off campus but don’t purchase a parking permit because of the additional expense.
Prentice, who authored the bill, hopes that this will encourage students to become more active in organizations. While Prentice specifically cited Greek organizations and their Monday chapter meetings, he said it would benefit others as well.
“I just think there’s a huge influx of people on campus at this time, even outside of fraternities and sororities,” he said.
Senate also passed a bill written by Prentice that asks that campus and athletic event parking attendants wearing red or blue shirts instead of orange. Some senators were concerned about the issue of visibility and cost.
“The one issue I have with this is the fact that I want to be able to really easily identify the parking lot attendants” since everyone else will be wearing red and blue, Cox senator Rachel Fox said.
Prentice said red or blue is just as visible as orange. He also noted that the parking attendants would be standing in front of the garages and other spots. This, he said, would help visitors identify them easily.
All three bills will now be presented to President R. Gerald Turner for consideration. Turner has final approval.
