Student Government’s priorities for the fall have changed as COVID-19 continues to surge in Louisiana, said Javin Bowman, the newly elected SG president. 

“When we first came in, we all ran on the idea that COVID would be gone by now, so none of us were planning on having to deal with it,” Bowman said. “Of course our first priority has changed.”

In February 2021, as vaccinations slowly made their way to LSU’s campus, it looked like the university would be able to operate as it did before the pandemic, assuming that vaccinations went as planned. 

At the same time, Student Government spring elections were taking place and many campaigns ran on agendas designed for campus problems unrelated to COVID they planned to address this fall. 

Fast forward to mid-July and only 35% of Louisianans were fully vaccinated, even as vaccine supply outstripped demand throughout the state. COVID-19 cases began rising once again, as the more contagious delta variant fueled the worst surge the state has seen.

The Bowman-Milligan campaign ran on getting students more involved in administrative decisions, sexual assault, promoting diversity and inclusivity on campus and implementing a three-strike parking policy that would require LSU Parking and Transportation give out two warnings before ticketing a student who is parked in an unauthorized spot.

These policies are still a part of this fall’s SG agenda, Bowman said, but getting more students vaccinated and other policies related to COVID-19 have taken unexpected precedence over other issues. 

“At first, our priority would have been sexual assault and working on fixing everything we’ve done wrong,” Bowman said. “We are still fighting that fight.”

Regardless, Bowman said working toward getting as many students vaccinated is more important right now. He also said that SG will work to find solutions for students who receive COVID vaccination exemptions due to religious beliefs or preexisting conditions.

“We’ll address and handle those students and try to help them and work with them to see what the best solution is for them,” Bowman said. “For students like that, the best they really can do is to continue to get tested for COVID and then limit their exposure to people.”

The switch to online and hybrid classes led to many issues between professors and students, a problem that caught the attention of Student Government leaders. 

Some students didn’t receive the final grade they were expecting because they felt like their professors were taking too long to enter grades, leaving some students with little to no answers.

“We’ve been focusing on holding both students and professors accountable,” Bowman said. “With COVID we saw a lot of students and teachers alike who hated Zoom learning. We saw professors not responding as was the same with students. We’ve been working to address that issue with the provost.”

One method which Student Government leaders hope will help enforce this new rule is the requirement that professors must now enter their grades before midterms and finals. 

Bowman said he talked to the provost about working with professors to set a two-week time period for entering grades.

“After you have an assignment, you have two weeks to enter in those grades,” he said. “That way, we can always see how we’re doing because a lot of students last semester reported that they failed a class or didn’t get the grade they wanted in the class because they never knew what it was in the first place.”

While Bowman acknowledged that some professors are busy adjusting to new teaching methods, he hopes that these new rules can foster a better relationship between students and professors which could result in better grades and more efficient learning.

“If a student or teacher sends an email, if it elicits a response then it needs to be responded to within 48 hours excluding weekends,” Bowman said. 

Another issue that will take priority is public safety.

With a return to normal conditions, more students are likely to go out to bars and parties which is raising concerns from some members of Student Government.

“With colleges returning back to normal, a lot of these students have never been immersed in a setting like this,” Bowman said. “They’re going to be very eager to go out to bars and to have fun and that’s great but it’s also scary because they’re young people who are getting high and inebriated.”

He said there will be a large focus on making sure students are aware of their resources with the LSU Police Department, as well as a renewed approach on addressing students’ mental health needs.

Bowman said that with the return of widespread in-person learning, there will likely be some mental health cases that arise among students and he wants to make sure that everyone receives the help they need.

“Students are going to be very excited,” Bowman said. “It’s important that safety remains a top priority for everyone’s sake.”