USG passes 28th Street resolution
Posted December 2, 2009 at 12:54 am in News
At their final meeting of the fall semester Tuesday night, Undergraduate Student Government senators passed several resolutions targeting student life, USG’s website and communication between the student body and the university administration.
A resolution endorsing the full closure of the Row to through traffic passed unanimously. USG had been discussing the resolution since Greek senators resurrected the idea of blocking off the Row at the beginning of the year.
“It shows that Undergraduate Student Government supports the development of 28th Street,” Greek Senator Hayden Coplen said. “We’re not city planners, so I can’t speak to having a solidified plan, but the goal is that we don’t want through traffic on 28th Street because it’s dangerous for pedestrians and bike riders.”
Closing the Row would involve installing gates or guarded kiosk entrances at both ends of 28th Street, and only Department of Public Safety, Campus Cruiser, taxi and emergency vehicles would be granted access.
Despite the Senate support for the resolution, students have expressed concerns about the effects of closing 28th Street to traffic.
Many students who completed a USG-sponsored survey about the development of the Row expressed concerns about limited parking and emergency vehicle access to 28th Street, but USG will address these issues if and when a more specific plan is outlined, Greek Senator Dylan Dann said.
Limiting traffic on the Row has been one of the Greek community’s primary objectives for many years, Greek Senator Max Ukropina said. But the issue affects both Greek and non-Greek students, especially in terms of the Row’s safety and cleanliness, he added.
Although the 28th Street resolution only focuses on limiting traffic, the measure will help pave the way for future efforts to develop and improve the aesthetics of the Row, which is another concern that has been raised, Dann said.
“The whole project is an initiative to improve 28th Street as an extension of the campus, because alumni [and] a lot of big donors associate 28th Street with the university, and [the images are] not consistent,” he said.
Aside from the 28th Street initiative, the Senate also approved a resolution calling for the inclusion of undergraduate and graduate student representatives on the Presidential Search Advisory Committee.
The senate also allocated $2,200 for the creation of an online funding application on USG’s website and passed a resolution for the establishment of a USC Trojan Toilet Task Force, which will be responsible for establishing a guide to the locations and amenities of bathrooms on campus.
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This article is tagged: Department of Public Safety, DPS, greek, The Row, undergraduate student government, USG
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The row closing to external traffic is not elitist- far more than just the Greek community uses the row; Thursday nights are packed with non-Greeks hanging out there with their Greek friends.
Secondly, the way a resolution works, which is stated in the third paragraph of the article, is that USG is supporting further attention to the development, not promising it’ll happen. Obviously, USC can’t do anything without the city’s approval and cooperation.
What about the van that was driving around trying to pick up girls and posing as Campus Cruiser? What about cars flying down the row at night when it’s packed, and both bikes and students are walking from house to house? After the horrible accident/tragedy that happened last year, I think any attempt to protect the safety of students from the same accidents should be applauded.
Improve the safety??? before closing down the street perhaps people would think about not roaming the streets drunk and falling over themselves…obviously the streets are going to be dangerous when you have girls walking back by themselves drunk at late hours or bikers who have no regard for the laws of the road….being on a bike does not give you the right to fly out in front of traffic expecting them to stop when its their turn at a stop sign!!….and perhaps the greek system system should think about the troubles they will cause for the surrounding communities….
…seems like a good excuse to get out of addressing the real issue of alcohol abuse, binge drinking, and reckless partying….
Sadly, this closure (if it occurs) will trade one safety concern for another. The real problems on the row, e.g. hazing, underage drinking, and public intoxication, will not be resolved. In fact, they will be masked as the row isolates itself from the rest of the neighborhood, and even from the rest of the USC community. Nevermind the inconvenience it will pose to residents of 27th, 28th, and 30th streets. Other than Thursday – Saturday nights, the row is a useful way to get from Figueroa to Hoover, and acts as the outlet for the west end of 27th. And what about the perennial parking problem?Perhaps we should admit the real reason IFC and USG want to close the row: a bit of good ‘ole fashioned USC elitism. After all, students wandering home drunk out of their minds will still have to cross streets other than 28th.
On an unrelated note, the last paragraph of the story made me laugh. I had to make sure today wasn’t April 1. A toilet task force? Clearly the USG senators are preparing for an illustrious career in the federal government.
my thoughts exactly, 28th is a good street to go from hoover to fig. (and vice-versa) without having to go around adams and whatever. i mean if you’re in a sorority/fraternity, cool… but shutting the street down is stupid… there’s drunks on any given night at the row and catering to their whims is irresponsible on USG’s end… maybe they should focus their attention on student residences WEST of vermont, and make those areas safer… i’ve never even seen one of those CSC people patrol that area, and im sure it probably needs it more than north campus
Yeah but people that live around Vermont don’t pay as much as sororities/fraternities do. That’s the logic.
My Dad is a lawyer and says you guys can’t just close a public street. So don’t even try! We need a place to park our cars. It is bad enough that I have to live next to that stinky ATO house.
When they close down 28th street can you put a 7-11 that sells beer at one end and a Starbucks at the other? I need to get my drink-on…
When do I need to move my car or will this happen after Christmas Break?
Maybe someone hasn’t told you kids that you don’t own property on 28th street and closing the street is a “pipe dream”. Yes some properties are owned by USC but the majority are owned by private individuals or non-profit organizations who are the real stake holders of 28th street. Long after you have gone back to live in mom’s basement we stake holders are still here cleaning up the empty beer cans and vomit left behind. Further, their is another small organization, the City of Los Angeles, that has much to say about closing the street. Closing 28th will cause problems for countless surrounding streets that cannot handle the increased traffic and parking demands. Forcing property access traffic to 20′ wide rear alleys is not going to work. Have you ever seen move-in day at a sorority? It makes the Normandy invasion look like an afternoon picnic. Where are you kids going to park? Most fraternities and sororities only have parking for a small number of their members and surrounding streets are already clogged with cars from apartment buildings with more cars than onsite parking spaces. Maybe the Student Senate should deal with more important issues like a website where I can find a clean bathroom at 2:30am in the basement of VKC…Oh thanks you got that covered…F’kids!
Wow! So much venom! Did you get turned down by a sorority/frat? Nothing wrong with looking at options. I am sure all “organizations” including proprty owners and the city would be involved in the discussion and decision.that is how things are done. With communication, input and dialog. Traffic is hazardess on 28th. If you read the article – it states emergency vehicles would have access. Perhaps the gates could be lifted on move in days. There a many issues in life…you take them one at a time. I suggest you channel your energies onto having a positive impact on an issue you feel is important rather than being like a snake in the grass and pouncing on those who are trying to make a difference. PS – at 2.30am in the morning you should be home.
No, you are still an idiot. What I do in the basement of VKC at 2:30am is my business….
Back in the days, I used to take a shit up on the 10th floor of WPH …not that far from VKC. The toilets are really clean, and it is quite discrete.
DB:
I shit myself in Bovard once…..
@ Don’t be a hater….
he is absolutely right…think about the surrounding community members……and ive noticed you’ve completely disregarded the fact that throngs of drunk people recklessly flood the streets falling over themselves therefore making 28th street dangerous….perhaps you guys should take responsibility for your own actions….