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volanteonline com THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887
The Volante FEBRUARY 18, 2015
FULL SGA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION COVERAGE INSIDE
Gun bill ignites debate for campus, legislators Megan Card
Megan.Card@coyotes.usd.edu
The state House is expected to vote this week on a bill that would allow people 21 years or older to carry a concealed weapon on the University of South Dakota campus. The House Local Government Committee voted 8-5 Feb. 12 to approve the proposal, which would apply to all six public universities in
South Dakota. State law requires a concealed pistol permit to conceal a weapon while carrying it or storing in a vehicle. But the bill looks to sidestep a South Dakota Board of Regents rule that prohibits guns on public university campuses. Floor debate on House Bill 1206 is likely to begin Wednesday. So far, the plan is attracting mixed reactions from a number
“Guns and students on campus don’t mix very well.”
-James Abbott, USD President
of agencies and institutions in the state. Opponents include University of South Dakota’s president, James Abbott. He referred to the proposal as “unfortunate and wrongheaded” and said it was a philosophi-
cal statement and little else. “Guns and students on campus don’t mix very well,” Abbott said. “I have no objection to firearms ... My concern is, ‘Do you really need to carry a gun in the DakotaDome?’ “
Rep. Jim Stalzer, who initially proposed HB 1206, said during the committee meeting that it was students who prompted him to craft the bill in the first place. The Republican from Sioux Falls said he wants to address some of the concerns with the South Dakota campus carry proposal, but pushed back against student testimony that said his bill
would harbor an unsafe learning environment. “They go off campus, they go to Walmart, they go to wherever, and if they run into me, they may well have run into a person who is armed,” Stalzer said at the Feb. 12 committee hearing. “I think that’s one of the deterrents of our concealed carry laws is you SEE GUNS, PAGE A7
SGA senators cut down on paper use Braley Dodson
Braley.Dodson@coyotes.usd.edu
It has been a year of changes for the Student Government Association. During his campaign last year, SGA President Tyler Tordsen’s three goals for SGA were to revamp, rekindle and reconnect. “I think we did a good job of reconnecting SGA with the students,” Tordsen said. T w o TORDSEN of his projects — making SGA more sustainable and creating the position of the External Communications Manager — have been accomplished. SGA presidential candidate Sami Zoss is the ECM, and SGA has been nearly paperless for a year. The sustainability initiative started last spring with the purchase of tablets for all SGA members. SGA stopped printing each week’s agendas, minutes, bills, resolutions and supporting documents. “We were printing hundreds of pages every week so everyone could have a physical copy,” Tordsen
FORGOTTEN IN THE SHADOWS Cellphone usage eliminating value of blue light phones Ally Krupinsky
Ally.Krupinsky@coyotes.usd.edu
Since 2005, the University of South Dakota has had four blue light emergency phones installed around campus. However, in the past four years, Jef Rice, assistant director of the University Police Department, said the phones have only been used twice — one call for directions and the other, a prank. Rice attributes this low usage to cellphones. “It just seems like in any type of emergency, everybody seems to have a cellphone right now,” Rice said. “So convenience-wise, I think cellphones are a pretty nifty deal.” Blue light emergency phones allow anyone in need of emergency assistance to notify UPD by pressing a red button and then speaking to a dispatcher. The phones are commonplace on many college campuses nationwide. Despite the usefulness of mobile phones, Rice said the physical blue lights on campus still serve a purpose. “I would encourage all students to know where they’re at, not just rely on their cellphone,” Rice said. Sophomore Megan Christiansen, an elementary education major, said she has a general idea of where the campus blue lights are, but is not entirely sure of their exact location. She said even though campus isn’t too big, she would like to see a few more, especially in the Coyote Village parking lot.
said. For the upcoming year’s budget, Tordsen is proposing a $200 cut to SGA’s office and general supplies budget and a $500 cut from the printing budget. He said the tablets cost SGA around $2,000, and the remaining $4,000 was covered by a donation from the Dean of Students’ office. “For as cheap as we wound up getting them, the investment was worth it,” Tordsen said. The investment has not completely converted all SGA senators, though. During the Feb. 10 SGA meeting, 12 of the 26 members used the purchased tablets. Two senators used other tablets, 14 senators used a laptop and one senator used a smartphone. Two senators used both their SGA tablet and a personal laptop. Tordsen said some senators prefer their own laptops to the tablets, and the tablets were purchased for all of SGA to not prevent someone who could not afford the technology from running for SGA. “I would hate to isolate someone,” Tordsen said. He said SGA’s sustainability push is the first step to expanding sustainability SEE SGA, PAGE A6
SEE LIGHTS, PAGE A7
BRALEY DODSON I THE VOLANTE
Student Government Association senators use varying forms of technology during their Feb. 10 meeting.
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