SG to host discussion regarding downtown assaults, gunshots
Student Government will host a students-only forum on safety in Five Points today after assaults and gunshots raised safety concerns in Columbia and the USC community in recent weeks.
The forum will take place in the Russell House Theater at 4 p.m. with the aim to “facilitate constructive discussion directly between students and Student Government,” according to an SG release.
Student Body President Kenny Tracy, Vice President Chase Mizzell, Treasurer Coy Gibson, Secretary of Safety and Transportation Erik Singleton and Chair of the Senate Safety and Transportation Committee Ryan Bailey will hear students’ ideas and concerns regarding the hospitality district. Each student will be allowed two minutes to speak at a microphone on the stage.
SG leaders will meet with the Columbia Police Department, Mayor Steve Benjamin and other community leaders in the near future in order to communicate student concerns and views about safety issues in Five Points. This forum is intended to serve as a barometer for students’ opinions on the issue so that representatives from SG will be able to most accurately represent students’ sentiments on the issue, according to the release.