During its meeting last week, the LSU Student Senate passed a resolution to fix an eyesore in the LSU Visitor Center that could deter potential students.
The Senate voted in favor of legislation during its Sept. 30 meeting that would urge and request the water fountain in the Visitor Center be cleaned and repaired.
The legislation, Student Government Resolution No. 10 and authored by senator Sarah Couch, passed with 98 percent support. While speaking on the resolution before the Senate opened debate, Couch said she had seen photos of the fountain and described “green, blue stuff” in the fountain.
In her closing comments before voting commenced on the resolution, Couch stressed the dirty fountain could have some implications for athletic recruiting.
“Just think, there’s a real potential Leonard Fournette could have seen that water fountain,” Couch said. “So, if you want to have a good football team forever, you need to get it cleaned.”
The legislation was referred favorably by the Campus Affairs and Sustainability committee before being heard on the Senate floor.
A few Senate members stood in front of the senate to offer their opinions on the issue. Senate secretary Heather Sullivan, who works in the Visitor Center area for LSU Parking and Transportation Services, said there have been numerous complaints about the fountain.
“We’ve actually told visitors who came into the Visitor Center not to use that fountain because it is disgusting,” Sullivan said. “We like to recruit people to come to LSU, and if that’s one of the first things they see, that’s not very attractive.”
During the first two weeks of June, Sullivan said more than 3,000 people came into the Visitor Center to get parking permits before visiting campus.
Senator Joanie Lyons, an LSU Liaison, also spoke on the issue during debate. Lyons said the Visitor Center is the first stop for VIP prospective student tours.
“This is the first thing that these very amazing, very qualified students see when they come to the university,” Lyons said.
Tammy Millican, the assistant director of the Office of Facility Services, said she had not received any legislation or work orders when contacted Monday morning. Millican later said the Visitor Center put in a work order for the fountain and that staff would take a look at it Monday.
The Senate previously passed a resolution Sept. 16 to relocate one of the SG-funded water fountains from the Business Education Complex to the Paul M. Hebert Law Center. SG president Andrew Mahtook said more water bottle refill stations will be installed soon.