Student Government recently passed a bill that would call for the establishment of a blue light on campus, which is an emergency communications tower that allows anyone to light up the area and contact public safety if they feel that they are in immediate danger. Now that the bill has passed, the blue light can be placed on campus upon approval from public safety.
The bill was written by first-year Student Government Senator Ethan Browning, who is double majoring in communications and philosophy. He knows people who have been personally affected by incidents of human dignity endangerment, so he’s always felt inclined to take action.
Browning and other members of the governance committee have been brainstorming ways to make campus safer since the beginning of the year.
“I was really interested in what we could do other than sending out these emails reminding people every time there is an incident, that human dignity violations are wrong,” Browning said. “What can we actually do to make campus safer?”
After deciding that the installation of a blue light on campus was the best way to help make campus a safer place, the members of the governance committee had to then choose what type of blue light was best. They ended up agreeing on a 9-foot-tall, solar-powered emergency tower with an additional camera mount.
The bill passed unanimously, meaning that all Student Government senators voted in favor of the blue light. The next step will be to run it by the campus safety committee.
If the campus safety committee approves the installation of the blue light, Browning is hoping that it will get put up on campus sometime over the summer so that it is ready by the beginning of fall semester. However, considering the circumstances of the current COVID-19 situation, there is a chance that it will get approved and get placed on campus at a later date.
“I hope the campus safety committee will move to pass this measure, and move forward with making campus safer for our entire Capital family,” Browning said.
Browning and the rest of the governance committee hope that the passing of this bill will show the student body that Student Government is serious about the safety and well-being of every student, and that they are trying to make infrastructural change to campus that will contribute to this goal of improved campus safety.
“Since campus safety is one of my highest priorities, this means more to me than a bill passed,” Aubri Jones, Student Government senator, said. “This is a step towards the well-being and security for everyone, and gives us a platform to further educate, spread awareness, and ultimately prevent sexual assault on campus and in our community.”
Student Government encourages students to always reach out to them with any concerns they may have about campus, and they are hoping that the passing of this bill will further solidify the student body’s trust in them.
“I’m proud to serve on a student government that shows continued investment, in every sense of the word, in our students’ feelings of safety,” Student Government Senator and Chair of Academic Affairs Committee, Bree Chambers, said.
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