Appalachian State University’s Student Government Association is working this semester to complete several key projects, including overturning Boone’s ordinance banning skateboarding.
Director of Governmental Operation Adam Ezell is leading the fight to change the skateboarding ordinance. In conjunction with the Governmental Relations Officer, Susan McCracken, SGA will exhibit a presentation to Boone Town Council of the research that was done.
Ezell said he hopes to have the ban removed for a trial period. Then the ban can be reinstated if the Town Council feels there is a need.
“The goal is to have the skateboarding ban ended,” Ezell said.
The soonest opportunity to present will be at the next Town Council meeting in late February.
“We’re thinking of going then, but we want to go talk to a lot of the people in Town Council before we actually present our PowerPoint presentation,” Ezell said.
Ezell said the research focused on peer institutions and other universities in the state of North Carolina to examine their policies on skateboarding.
“Right now we’ve been able to find eight schools that allow skateboarding and three say no,” Ezell said.
SGA is also working on implementing the Eco Box Clamshell food takeout system, which would “provide students with a way to carry out food without producing waste,” according to the SGA Senate bill, which was passed last February.
SGA Vice President Eric Barnes said the system is in a trial run and that he expects to see it implemented by this April or May.
Barnes also said that SGA is working on investigating the feasibility of increasing the perimeter around the buildings on campus outside of which students are allowed to smoke.
As well, Barnes said they are looking into the cost of using iClickers in senate meetings.
He said the hope would be to reduce the already relatively small amount of paper used by SGA and to keep track of attendance and voting record, which could be made available to the student body online.
SGA President Jake Cox is reassessing the feasibility of the 24/5 library, which would make it policy to have the library open 24 hours a day during the five-day work week.
Cox said he is forming a committee to look further into how it may or may not help students at ASU and be able to come to a conclusion that would allow him to make a recommendation to the university.
Cox said the committee will be comprised of mostly students.
Cox said he is still currently in favor of the 24/5 library but is going into the research “very open-mindedly.”
“We told everybody we came here to do a job and we’re going to finish as strongly as we possibly can. We’re still open to any idea any student wants to bring up. We don’t want to leave anything off the table,” Cox said.
Story: JOSHUA FARMER, News Editor