The Student Government Association passed four resolutions and one bill during its Senate meeting on Wednesday. The resolution addresses campus Wi-Fi privacy, vending machine access, Chick-fil-A rewards, building maintenance and community engagement initiatives.
SGA President Tamil Adele, senior criminal justice major from Midland, said this semester’s Senate has been one of the most active in recent years.
“They’ve been doing amazing work, pushing out legislation every week” she said. “It’s been really impressive to see how engaged they are.”
SGA currently has $2,381 left to spend this semester, which Adele said is important to use intentionally before the end of the year.
“It shows we’re being good stewards of student activity fees and sets up the next administration well,” Adele said.
Among the legislation passed, senator Katelyn Kellogg introduced a resolution urging the university to establish a clear policy explaining how data collected through ACU’s Wi-Fi networks is used. The resolution notes that ACU’s networks – ACUsecure, BasicACUwifi, and Guest-ACU – collect detailed information, including browsing history, connection times, and device data.
Kellogg, junior marketing major from Colleyville, said the idea came after she saw a privacy warning appear on her device when connecting to the campus Wi-Fi in October, which had not previously appeared.
“When I was connecting to the ACUsecure Wi-Fi, I saw this privacy warning pop up, and I got concerned originally for the cybersecurity of the campus, especially as a few months ago, Abilene was hacked,” Kellogg said. “But the deeper I looked into it, I realized it was about how our data might be monitored or recorded.”
She said she spent about a month researching other universities’ data policies and consulting industry professionals before proposing the resolution.
“Most universities I looked into didn’t have a clear policy,” Kellogg said. “Although we can assume the system is just being used for security reasons, without a policy, we don’t actually know. Having one officially in place would reassure students that their privacy is secure.”
The resolution passed with 90% approval and asks the university to publish a transparent data-use policy by January 2026.
Another resolution, led by Senator Danielle Galon, sophomore biochemistry major from Abilene, requested the addition of One App scanners at the Campus Center Chick-fil-A, allowing students to earn and potentially redeem points through the Chick-fil-A app.
Danielle Galon, sophomore biochemistry major from Abilene, presenting legislation requesting hot water to be fixed in Halbert-Walling Research Center. (Photo by Makayla Clayton)
The proposal passed unanimously, though senators noted it remains unclear whether points can be used on campus due to the limited menu.
In another measure, SGA approved a resolution to add or relocate a vending machine to the second floor of the Brown Library with a wider selection of energy drinks, citing high student traffic and long study hours on that floor.
A fourth resolution, presented by Galon, urged the university to restore consistent hot water access in the Halbert-Walling Research Center, which has reportedly faced intermittent outages for nearly four years. Senators said the lack of hot water has impacted lab cleaning, sanitation, and research preparation.
Finally, SGA passed a bill authorizing up to $60 for providing hot chocolate to students participating in the Meals on Wheels Thanksgiving Food Drive, an initiative aimed at supporting the local nonprofit and fostering campus community.
Adele said the executive team is focused on following up with administration to ensure each resolution moves forward.
“My job is to make sure these things don’t just get passed and forgotten,” Adele said. “We contact the right departments and follow up until something happens. I’m really proud of how our senators are making tangible changes on campus.”
