USC's student senate adopted multiple pieces of legislation on Wednesday, including recommendations to upgrade the Blatt Bridge draining system and update the first floor of Gambrell Hall.
The senate passed a recommendation, introduced by Sen. Cole VonCannon, to improve drainage at Blatt Bridge and increase maintenance checks.
According to the recommendation, Blatt Bridge is a key route for students, especially to those living in Campus Village and Bates, and is used to access places like the Pavilion, Starbucks and Blatt P.E. Center. The bridge often collects standing water, and the grates meant to drain it can become loose, creating safety hazards, the recommendation reads. Students either get their shoes wet or try to jump over puddles, and runoff on the sloped bridge can lead to slips and falls.
"The drainage system is obviously not working," VonCannon said. "I like to check the drains- and about 80% of the times the drains are clogged, they look dirty."
VonCannon said he received an email from a Facilities Management contact saying the pedestrian bridge project will address many concerns, and they are diligently addressing all they can at this time- and will continue to do so.
The senate also passed a recommendation, introduced by Sens. VonCannon and Lenyx Coviak, to update Gambrell Hall's first floor to include charging stations and outlets for students' devices.
According to the recommendation, Gambrell Hall hasn’t seen updates since reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic. It states that students often spend long hours in the building and rely on electronic devices for class- but there are not enough outlets or charging stations available.
"Most of the time, if you have a class, then you have a waiting period, you need to recharge your phone and computer," VonCannon said. "In that first floor area, there are no outlets or changing stations. In the classrooms, there are usually only two outlets, either at the back or front- first come, first serve. If you don't get it, that's it."
The recommendation is to add more outlets and charging stations on the first floor to support students who need to recharge their devices throughout the day.
The senate also passed a recommendation, introduced by VonCannon, to update Gambrell's first floor to include more comfortable seating and tables.
According to the recommendation, the first floor lacks comfortable seating, tables or places for students to relax or recharge devices—only wooden benches are available. The space also hosts events and fairs.
The recommendation suggests adding cushioned chairs, couches, footrests and tables—similar to the furniture on the second floor of Russell House—to improve the space for students who spend time in Gambrell.
The senate also passed a recommendation, introduced by Sens. Caleb Dorsey, Chance Kirby and VonCannon, to allow Campus Recreation to regain access to their own separate social media account.
According to the recommendation, giving Campus Recreation (CREC) its own Instagram account would help create content that better fits what students are interested in. It would also let CREC keep a clear brand focused on fitness, outdoor activities and intramural sports.
According to Dorsey, Campus Recreation merged its Instagram with the Center for Health and Well-Being after losing access to its original account over the summer.
The recommendation states that before the merger, some of CREC’s posts reached up to 22,000 views, with over 2,000 interactions. It also says that after the merger, CREC’s Instagram still gained 549 followers, which shows students are still looking for content.
"This shows that people are still actively searching for this information about specific things- they are just unable to find it," Dorsey said
Dorsey said that campus recreation contains activities such as fitness classes, intramural sports, sports clubs and athletic training. He said their concern is that they are not able to get out information to all the people who are looking for it.
The senate also passed a bill which updated the Student Government codes to create the Student Government Philanthropic Council.
According to the bill's preamble, the Philanthropic Council was created to foster a culture of giving, compassion and community engagement among USC students. It aims to empower individuals and student groups to lead service efforts that address pressing social issues and inspire collaboration, creativity and positive change across campus.
The 117th student senate will hold its last session of the spring semester next Wednesday, April 23 at 5:30 p.m. in the Russell House Theater. All students are welcome to attend these meetings.