By Farris Willingham, Senior Staff Writer
Students will vote on a document this semester that outlines their rights at the university.
The Student Bill of Rights, a project of three Student Government Association administrations, was created to address issues consistently raised by students, said SGA President Robin Ladd.
SGA members will host a referendum to examine the legislation with the student body before presenting it to administrators.
“We figured the best way to voice our concerns and opinions on subjects was to create a bill for ourselves,” Ladd said.
The referendum, which will be online before the end of the semester, will contain an attachment of the bill and a question for approval.
“What I hope is that students will respond positively,” Ladd said. “We’ve been working really hard to make sure that we hone in on student concerns.”
If approved by the student body, Ladd said she would present the legislation to faculty and administrators. Following the assessment, members of the Board of Trustees would review the document.
The goal is to have trustees approve the measure so officials may implement it, Ladd said.
Some of the rights listed in the document pertain to bereavement and funeral absences, student grades, housing, and use of facilities.
They are topics that frequently arise at Star Summit, a meeting where the university’s organization leaders discuss campus issues, Ladd said.
The document would be beneficial to students, said Chester Hendershot, cell and molecular biology/Spanish senior.
“It better defines what students are able and not able to do,” he said. “It sounds like it would get rid of the grey areas.”
Outlining bereavement leave for students is important, Hendershot said.
“If there’s one set rule, then students might be less stressed about missing class,” he said.
Students at the university’s peer and benchmark institutions, like Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., have created their own versions of a Student Bill of Rights.
SGA members want to replicate the concept at OCU to provide a concrete reference for students when they believe their rights are violated, Ladd said.
“These are things that we would like to see implemented to help us in our overall experience as students at the university,” she said.
Leave a Reply