By Jonathan Smith, Editor in Chief
Student Congress unanimously passed a bill Wednesday recommending to the university to connect the parking lots between Sikes Hall and the Williams Performing Arts Center.
Rep. Lauren Hart, Sikes Hall, who presented the bill, said connecting the lots would create better traffic flow around the hall and make the area safer. The area of concern in the north section of the Sikes lot only has one-way traffic and comes to a dead end.
Hart, sophomore integrated marketing and communication major from Austin, said Jimmy Ellison, chief of ACU Police, and Kevin Watson, chief administrative services officer, have given their support for the project, but she still saw the need for Congress to act.
“I don’t think this will get fixed unless we do something about it,” Hart said.
Hart said she is now in discussion with Watson about financing the project and the possibility of the Students’ Association paying part of the bill, which would come out of the spring budget.
Tyler Cosgrove, executive treasurer, said Congress would not have to pay for the entire project and that it was mostly a show of good faith.
The project could result in a net loss of two parking spaces in a lot with 96 parking spaces for 192 women, Hart said.
“I really don’t think there’s any way there could be a problem with this,” said Jeremy Pond, Mabee Hall representative and freshman journalism major from Wichita Falls.
Neither did the rest of Congress, which bypassed further discussion to unanimously pass the bill.
Congress also voted to have the Constituent Relations committee look into why fewer energy drinks were being made available on campus.
Sen. Jeffrey Rasco, senior business management major from Abilene, said he noticed fewer energy drinks being made available for purchase on campus, and Congress decided unanimously to further look into the issue.
Sen. Jake Roseberry, sophomore management major from Troy, Ohio, also announced that the Student Government Association Research and Development Committee has restarted the fight to get a student movie ticket discount.
He said the committee will talk with the other schools in Abilene and to the movie theatres about working out a discount. The committee also will contact other universities to see how they have worked to have student discounts at theatres.
