Despite the lack of support from some members of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council about the Student Senate’s SGR No. 23, Chris Odinet still is working to gather support for the resolution.
SGR No. 23 calls for a non-voting, at-large seat for local University students on the Council.
Odinet said he has been in contact with Lorri Burgess, Baton Rouge mayor por-tempore and councilwoman of district 12.
The University spans two districts — Burgess represents district 10 and councilman Jim Benham represents district 12.
Odinet said Burgess indicated her willingness to meet with Odinet and other senators after the semester ends.
He said she did not indicate a change in her view of the resolution.
In a phone message, Burgess said the Metro Council cannot honor the resolution other than to tell interested students they are welcomed to come to the Metro council’s public meetings.
“This matter is not in compliance with our plan of government,” Burgess’ message said. “So, there is nothing that we do, legally, to create a council seat — at large — for a student member of LSU, Southern or any other school entity.”
Councilman Benham, who is credited with making stricter fake ID penalties and trying to raise the age at which students can enter bars, said he is not in favor of the Student Senate’s resolution.
He said his main reason for not supporting the resolution is that 18-year-olds have the right to vote.
The University has eligible voters in its district who can control who represents them and who becomes mayor, Benham said. But the problem is that the eligible voters do not vote.
“Students who want to be a part of the political process should get into it,” he said.
Benham also said the seat is not needed to get information back to the students, because the Metro Council televises its meetings for the public.
He said if the universities get a seat on the council, then every special interest group would demand a seat.
Benham said he completely ignores the University’s campus vote because it is so small.
“Nobody will listen to you until you start voting,” he said.
If University students want to be heard by any elected official, they will need to vote, he said.
People who do not vote say “I don’t care.” Therefore, politicians will say “I don’t care,” Benham said.
Odinet said he does agree that students need to vote.
He also said the Student Senate is hoping to bridge the gap by creating a new co-director of legislative affairs who will act as a direct liaison for SG, the state and local governments.
But Odinet said this could only happen if the new SG charter is passed by the Student Senate Wednesday night.
He also said the Student Senate hopes to become more “pro-active all-around.”
Odinet contacted the Student Government Association presidents for Southern University and Baton Rouge Community College. He has also contacted Metro Council members to get support for the resolution.
Odinet said since Southern and BRCC are in the process of holding SG elections, the University’s senators decided to postpone discussion of the resolution until the elections are over.
They have plans to meet with the University’s new presidents after the weekend, he said.
Odinet also said an LSU Student senator has contacted the mayor of the Maryland town that houses the University of Maryland.
The town’s municipal council has a seat for students who attend the University of Maryland, he said. The town’s mayor and the student senator discussed how his system functions and the effectiveness of the system in his town.
“It’s being done in other places,” Odinet said.
According to the senator, the mayor said putting a student on the municipal council is one of the best things the town has done, Odinet said.
Odinet said he hopes Burgess will speak before the Student Senate about council legislation and tell them what the council would like to see happening.