Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar
Students and senators brought forward concerns about a lack of an on-campus EMS and the need for greater recognition of SGA services at the 62nd Student Government Association meeting on Nov. 4.
Biology junior Awab Abdalah addressed the Senate and Senator Chelsea Diaz proposed a bill to have the University establish a free on-campus EMS to students, under the guidance of UHPD.
Concerns were raised that UH, unlike Rice, A&M and UT, does not have an on-campus EMS. Abdalah spoke about the response time of EMS when a situation that calls for it occurs on campus.
“The average response time for HFD, for their EMS service, is around 20 minutes, and in some situations, that could be life or death,” Abdalah said. “If someone’s heart stops, if they’re not given CPR within five minutes, their rate of survival goes down dramatically.”
The financial burden of having an external EMS present for events like football games was also a focus of student concern.
“I feel it would save us some money on campus sporting events, because we do spend a lot of money on external EMS,” Abdalah said.
Diaz proposed a bill that would advocate for student safety by having SGA suggest to the University to provide free-of-charge EMS to students on campus, under UHPD guidance.
This would supplement responses to cases of student injury on school grounds, including inside housing and campus buildings.
“Safety is more than just police presence on campus or pedestrian safety,” Diaz said. “It’s about what happens if something unsafe does happen and we have an emergency.”
Senator Natalie Linde raised questions about Sen. Diaz’s plan to overcome obstacles facing the approval of her bill, citing a 2022 attempt by UH Cougar Medics to get approval for a student-run on-campus EMS. Financial burdens and the time commitment made getting an EMT certification challenging for students.
The bill was sent to the Administration and Finance Committee for further review and reworking, with SGA Advisor Katy Kaesebier offering to collaborate with Diaz to work out solutions to the bill’s challenges.
Town hall initiative
Senators Zurisadai Dieguez and Adil Baig proposed the Coog Town Hall Initiative, where the executive branch of SGA would organize and host town hall meetings each semester.
Senators voiced concerns that students are unaware of the SGA, specifically its services, resources, policies and responsibilities. SGA Vice President Ian Kariuki cited the partnership between UH’s Cougar SAFE program and the SGA to give out free Plan B at the Health Center for students who need them as lacking recognition.
Through this bill, senators hope to encourage civic engagement from the student body, allow students to voice their concerns to the SGA directly and break down barriers between student representatives and the students they serve.
“As representatives, the Student Government Association is selected to serve students. However, it becomes difficult to represent students when there are barriers between SGA and the students that it serves,” Dieguez said.
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