In their second meeting of the fall semester, LSU’s Student Senate voted to urge the university to continue its work on a new digital Tiger Card system and announce school closures at least 48 hours in advance of a natural disaster.
The plans, originally proposed in March, include an app that would be interchangeable with an actual Tiger Card for uses such as opening doors, buying food and identifying oneself.
College of Humanities and Social Sciences Sen. Brett Robertson, a psychology junior and author of the digital Tiger Card bill, explained, “The idea is that you use it like Apple Pay. You put your phone up to it, and it unlocks the door.”
“You can have it in your Apple wallet, you wouldn’t be able to lose it, or [have to] pay for replacements over and over again,” Robertson said.
According to Robertson, the latest update from LSU’s Auxiliary services is that “the plan is to have it done by fall 2025.” However, he expressed some doubt, saying, “We’ll see how it goes.”
The virtual Tiger Cards would also be used by online students to identify themselves digitally. The final plans feature both physical and digital options.
In light of the recent impact of Hurricane Francine, the senate shifted its attention to disaster preparedness, voting on a resolution that calls for LSU to announce school closures 48 hours in advance of any forecasted natural disaster.
The bill’s author, University Center for Freshman Year Sen. Emma Miller, a political science junior, felt students were not notified of the closure in “enough time to safely evacuate if they chose to do so.” Miller says, “In the future, school closures from natural disasters should be announced two days before the storm.”
Additionally, senators voted to appropriate $2200 from the senate surplus to fund the Student Government Fall Fest Table in their first spending bill of the year.
In a speech to the senate floor, College of Engineering Sen. Kendal Frazier, an industrial engineering junior, claimed the table would be, “a good representation for the senate and all of student government.” Money that isn’t spent on tabling will end up back in the surplus, according to Frazier.
The two bills passed serve as recommendations to the university administration, urging action from LSU without mandating implementation.
The next Senate meeting will be on Sept. 25.
