USC's 117th student senate passed several pieces of legislation, including recommendations to expand Thomas Cooper Library hours and increase accommodations for blind students during its final session of the semester on Wednesday.
Thomas Cooper Library hours extension
The senate passed a recommendation, introduced by Chairwoman of the Powers and Responsibilities Committee Lauren Anderson and Sen. Iangel Tolaka, to expand the Thomas Cooper Library's hours on Fridays and Saturdays.
According to the recommendation, Thomas Cooper Library should extend its Friday and Saturday hours to better accommodate students with non-traditional schedules. The current 7 p.m. closing time disproportionately affects students balancing academic responsibilities with work or other obligations, the recommendation reads.
"Right now, the (library's) schedule is set for assuming that people do most of their homework during the week and that on Friday nights and Saturday nights, they would not be on campus," Anderson said. "Unfortunately, this isn't the case for a lot of our students, especially our pre-med students, and some of our students who have different schedules throughout the week do need that time."
Anderson said that some chemistry tests can last until 7:15 p.m.. Many freshmen either live in dorms without study rooms or don’t have another quiet place to study, and several students have voiced that they would like the library to stay open later to accommodate those needs, she said.
I don't know a lot about what the resources at the library look like, so I didn't say we're going to keep it open an extra two hours or anything like this,"Anderson said.
Expansion of accommodations for blind students
The senate also passed a recommendation, introduced by the Liberties and Representations Committee, to increase accommodations for blind students.
According to the recommendation, the 117th student senate recommends that the University of South Carolina to improve accessibility for blind and visually-impaired students by expanding access to Braille materials, promoting the use of visual interpretation tools like the Aira app and updating disability services infrastructure.
The recommendation states that USC currently advises students to request Braille materials up to two semesters in advance—a timeline that may not be feasible for all students—and that only a small fraction of books are available in Braille at the university.
"This is also to increase the resources we have for visually-impaired students, as well as making sure they are on campus so they don't have to go off campus to certain buildings where they're currently housed," Speaker Pro Tempore Sy'Mone Miles said.
It also calls for Braille resources to be managed through the on-campus Student Disability Resource Center, for university policies to support Aira as a classroom tool and for Disability Service Officers to be trained in up-to-date best practices.
Same-day medical appointments at the Center of Student Health and Well-Being
The senate also passed a recommendation, introduced by Sen. Iris Sanders, to expand the availability of same-day medical appointments at the Center of Student Health and Well-Being.
According to the recommendation, even though USC currently provides affordable or free healthcare services—including medical, psychiatric and substance abuse resources—some students face delays of up to five days when scheduling an appointment. The recommendation states that same-day access would particularly benefit students without personal transportation, allowing them to receive timely care for fast-acting illnesses from on-site professionals.
"Scheduling an appointment at the Center of Health and Well-Being is extremely difficult to do," Sanders said. "When I had the flu, I could not get an appointment until seven days after my initial diagnosis. This would just basically be to offer more same-day appointments for more like fast-acting illnesses like that."
Addition of women's bathroom to Jones Physical Science Center's second floor
The senate also passed a recommendation, introduced by Sen. Jasmine Ling Whatley, Sen. Brooke Walker and Chairwoman of the Health and Safety Committee Emma Cumby, to add a women's bathroom to the second floor of the Jones Physical Science Center.
According to the recommendation, only a men's bathroom is available on the building's second floor, while other academic buildings on campus typically feature both men's and women's bathrooms. The second floor has been undergoing renovations for over three years, yet no significant progress has been made in addressing this issue.
"Last Friday, Senator Whatley and I surveyed Jones Physical Science Center, and there's currently no women's restroom, or labeled women's restroom, on the second floor, which puts any student who needs to use such a bathroom at a disadvantage because you're out of the classroom for a certain period of time," Cumby said.
The recommendation states the importance of providing accessible restroom facilities to support the health and well-being of all students, ensuring they can promptly return to class.
Additional legislation
The senate also passed several resolutions and recommendations, including measures to recognize and commend USC MIND, celebrate the University of South Carolina Women’s Golf Team for winning the 2025 SEC Championship, and honor USC Relay for Life for raising $162,500. Additional recommendations included upgrading and expanding outdoor seating on Russell House Lawn and Davis Field, creating a designated student tailgating spot in Gamecock Park during football season, and allowing the finance committee to allocate funds to various student organizations.
The next senate session will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 5:30 p.m. in the Russell House Theater. All students are welcome to attend these meetings.