Senators hashed out two pieces of legislation regarding an expansion of campus accessibility at the Associated Student Government meeting Wednesday night.
A resolution advocating renovations for students with disabilities was paired with a bill calling for an increase in the university’s annual spending for accessibility.
The bill would increase funding from $500,000 to $600,000 annually and would adjust the allocation with yearly inflation.
Matt Hall, the College Republicans senator and the bill’s author, said Northwestern needs to compensate for its failure to match its funding with changes in the economy.
“We want to not only get back on track, we want to be a little generous,” said Hall, a Communication sophomore.
ASG also introduced a bill on dissection alternatives for undergraduate biology courses. The bill calls for a formal policy that would offer students the option to simulate dissection on a computer program if they have religious or ethical reservations.
Currently, dissection alternatives are offered at a professors’ discretion. ASG Academic Vice President Tamara Kagel said the bill is necessary to guarantee that students will always have that option available, regardless of their professor.
A bill also was introduced discouraging professors from ordering books that come in shrink-wrapped bundles. Norris Bookstore will not accept books for return if the shrink wrap is removed.
Bill Johnston, Norris University Center director, spoke at the meeting and fielded questions about the Norris name change and campus wireless network services.
Johnston said he would advocate a name change if there was overwhelming student support.
“It doesn’t matter what we call it,” he said. “Many of you see Norris as a facility, but you can have a union without a building. The idea of shared governance is really what it’s all about.”
Senators also elected Evan Drake, a Medill freshman, to fill a position on the ASG Judicial Board. The position recently was vacated when the previous officer resigned to study abroad.
