Associated Student Government senators passed three bills Wednesday aimed at making voting in public elections more convenient for Northwestern students.
One bill calls for moving the South Campus polling place from the Evanston Public Library to Norris University Center. Another bill would allow all North Campus residents to vote at Patten Gym. Currently the polling place for several North Campus dorms is Kendall College.
“The goal is that, the more students vote here, the more influence we have in the community,” said Elder Hall Sen. Bryan Tolles, a Weinberg freshman.
Senators now will work with Cook County officials to make the bills’ requests a reality, he said.
“Getting it done is going to be a harder process than getting (the bills) passed,” Tolles said.
A third election-reform bill asks NU administrators to provide voter registration and renewal forms to students by the end of January, in compliance with the Higher Education Act.
External Relations Chairwoman Jada Black said the election-reform bills are necessary to ensure that students’ voices are represented in local politics.
“These (local) governments are passing laws and policies that affect students every day, ” said Black, a Medill junior. “There’s been a big push by the University of Illinois to eliminate the textbook tax, and that will be a vote in the Illinois (legislature) in a few months.”
In other action, senators passed a bill that calls for NU Information Technology to restrict certain Ph information to users logged in to the school network. The bill would change the default setting to only show the student’s name and e-mail address.
Members of the NU community would be able to view complete phone and address information for other users from any location by entering a valid Net ID.
“(People) can still find you, but it still gives students the protection against harassment,” said Student Services Vice President Courtney Brunsfeld, a Weinberg junior.
Senators also passed a bill that asks for additional Escort Service funding to allow for longer hours and a wage increase for drivers. The move came in part as a response to the Oct. 8 assault of a graduate student on the Lakefill.
“We really need to address expanded services that expand safety,” said Eileen Keeley, a senator for the Public Affairs Residential College and Weinberg sophomore. “That was made clear last quarter.”
The final bill passed Wednesday would convert the North Side Coffee Co. into a possible theater rehearsal space. The coffeehouse will be vacated when a new one opens in Slivka Hall.
“People are always looking for a place to rehearse,” said Arts Alliance Sen. Joel Richlin, a Weinberg junior. “(The bill) doesn’t limit the room to anything. It just makes it more usable as a rehearsal space.”
