Student Government addressed concerns from attendees on Monday at its second town hall of the semester, including accessibility, affordability and mental health.
The meeting began with a presentation by a group of students calling for more campus restrooms that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Fabiola Amaya, founder and co-president of On the Moov, a partnership program that aims to improve campus accessibility, said she injured herself in a bathroom on campus because it did not fit her wheelchair.
“The main and biggest thing is that (the bathrooms are) simply not big enough,” Amaya said. “We were doing a fellowship program in the (Peter Flawn Academic Center) and everyone had to get out of the bathroom because I got in the stall and couldn’t close the door. It’s such a highly populated area.”
The group also asked town hall participants to sign a petition for more accessible bathrooms.
Sophie Snapp, engineering representative and member of the Disabilities Inclusion Agency, presented a new focus group that aims to increase accessibility in UT’s Emergency Communications and Services. Snapp said she will routinely meet with UT Emergency Management to discuss improvements proposed by the group.
“It’s really important that able-bodied individuals stand (with) and support our disabled friends because it’s not going to go anywhere if UT doesn’t realize that this is a greater issue that everybody cares about,” Snapp, an environmental engineering senior, said.
After the presentations, student government divided into four groups: student life and affordability, physical and mental health and wellness, academic and professional opportunity and community and student engagement.
The student life and affordability group discussed creating affordable food plans for students and finding better ways to transport students to and from campus so they can buy groceries. Madison Palmer, UTSG leadership and service policy director, said she met with UT Transportation Services about expanding buses and the Sure Walk Program. She said Transportation Services can only take action if there is student demand.
“I’m working right now on getting a focus group just to make sure (more transportation is) something that students want based on their experiences because if it’s not something students want, then I’m not going to ask for it,” Palmer, a social work sophomore, said.
The physical and mental health and wellness group discussed creating mandatory mental health modules on Canvas, as Student Government president Grace Kelly, proposed at the September UT System Advisory Council meeting. Caitlyn Arnold, UTSG mental health policy director, said UT needs to use the modules so students can learn baseline skills to boost their mental health.
The community and student engagement group talked about tuition affordability for students. Arshia Papari, UTSG advocacy policy director, said Texas Senate Bill 548, which puts tuition limits on public higher education institutions, expires on Jan. 1. He said the bill’s expiration could result in tuition increases for UT students.
Papari said he is working with other student government members on Invest in Texas, a project that creates proposals to present to the Texas Legislature during its next session in the spring.
“We are going to be trying to renew that legislative bill to keep our tuition costs low,” government sophomore Papari said.
