Two Student Government senators met Monday night to draft a Student Bill of Rights.
Whitney Breaux, chairperson of the Students’ Rights and Welfare Committee, called the meeting to develop a document outlining students’ rights. She said the student code of conduct only regulates student responsibilities and the restrictions placed on them.
“There is no centralized document for LSU that guarantees students’ rights,” said Breaux, a mass communication senator.
She said she hopes the Bill of Rights will eventually be attached to every course syllabus. The senators aim to make the document easily accessible, clear and concise.
The senators drew from a template designed by the Students for Academic Freedom and the Bill of Rights for Temple University, the University of St. Thomas and Wagner College.
Arts and Sciences Sen. Drew Prestridge helped with the drafting process. He wanted to “think of situations” to brainstorm rights that should be included in the document.
Breaux said she wants to see the University become more open to students expressing themselves because college is an open opportunity for expression.
The first right listed in the document is similar to the First Amendment of the U.S. Bill of Rights. It includes freedom speech, press and religion, as well as rights to assemble and petition.
The senators addressed students’ right to a grade determined by academic achievement consistent with the aim, content and syllabus of the course and his or her right to a syllabus outlining the course’s content and grading.
Many of the rights discussed are associated with communication and interaction with members of the campus community. These include the right to meet with a professor to discuss course material and grading in stated office hours or by appointment; the right to address campus issues and concerns with University faculty, staff and SG; and the right to fair and respectful treatment by members of the University community.
Prestridge was interested in students having the right to a course syllabus and to request access to their current grades.
The senators were also concerned about discrimination. They wanted to include the right to use all resources provided by the University and the right to participate in organizations and activities regardless of ethnicity, creed, ability, age and/or sexual orientation.
The rights to appeal grades and to have a safe learning environment were also listed.
The last student right on the document is to be able to “participate in SG, which will work closely with the University to ensure that the included rights will not be overlooked.”
The senators will meet again Thursday to work on another draft of the Student Bill of Rights. The document will be finalized this week and presented to the Senate as a resolution Oct. 3.
—-Contact Emily Holden at [email protected]