Led Lighting
The Student Government Senate wants campus to be more environmentally friendly. During Wednesday’s meeting, a bill was passed to implement light-emitting diode (LED) lighting throughout the campus.
The bill was proposed by senior Melissa Wyatt, the former junior class senator who was elected senior class senator Wednesday, and the Energy & Conservation Organization (ECO) Agency.
The LED lights would reduce light pollution, last 10 times longer than the existing light bulbs used by the university, produce a better quality of light for increased visibility and lead to a reduction in maintenance costs, according to Wyatt and ECO Agency.
The Patti and Allan Herbert Wellness Center used LED bulb replacements and have reported a 62.5 percent decrease in energy. They also conducted a cost-benefit-analysis over the summer that studied the energy usage and costs of current lighting across campus and concluded that having LED lights installed would result in energy savings of 50 to 70 percent.
They hope the university will retrofit and install LED lighting to replace existing bulbs and fixtures throughout campus.
Research done by ECO Agency showed that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill had an anticipated savings of $25 million over seven years and that Dartmouth College had 66 percent energy savings.
“Due to the unique geographical location of where the university is, it’s important for us to take the lead on eco-friendly initiatives,” Wyatt said. “It was very exciting to see the unanimous support from senate and all the students that I have talked to, which shows how important it is to keep undertaking these measures on campus.”
Amendment to the Constitution
A bill has been passed that amends the current constitution that states no person shall concurrently hold any two offices within Student Government.
No member of a branch or agency who is a permanent representative in Executive Committee meetings will be permitted to hold another office in any other branch or agency of Student Government.
Notes
- Nicholas Rodriguez was sworn in as the senator of the Interfraternity Council.
- College of Engineering, School of Communication and two commuter senator seats are open.
- University Affairs is looking into creating an online registry for lost and found items.