Yes or No: SU Students Have Final Say On Gateway Project

Southern University students will vote for their respective student leaders, as well as a number of referendums. One that has gained controversial attention over the past week is the Gateway Project Referendum.
According to the literature that has been released, the Gateway Project will be an upgrade to the school’s entrance and will cost approximately 12 million dollars. If voted yes by the majority, student fees will increase by five dollars per semester and two dollars and fifty cents during the summer semesters.
Current Student Government Association President, Dominique Diamond attempted to reassure the student body of what the SGA is capable of doing.
“If our students would take time out to regularly participate in Senate meetings, they would understand the answers to these problems,” said Diamond.
Senior football player Lenard Tillery III, along with other students planned a rally physically protesting the “Gateway Project”. Tillery wrote an open letter published by the Rouge Collection titled “Say No To The Gateway Project”.
“Southern University has been plagued by the same issues for decades. Many school officials and SGA presidents proposed solutions and promised change only to provide temporary solutions. This continued cycle of guile and deceit has caused many alumni and former students to lose faith in a positive future for Southern University while others still fight to make a difference. Many advocates for change feel helpless, but the history of our prestigious university has taught us how to handle these situations, with unity,” wrote Tillery in his open letter.
SU students created a social media campaign further protesting the Gateway Project, claiming that “bigger problems/projects” need attention. The reasons listed on the flyer included deplorable buildings, unsafe roads, unused buildings, landscape needing overall beautification and living conditions.
In response to the “No Gateway Project “campaign; Diamond stated that the flyer addressed issues in which the student fees are not allocated for the use of resolving.
“This Gateway Project has been an open discussion at Senate meetings for the student body to participate in and get all of their comments and concerns addressed. We do not hide anything from the student body. Voting Yes to the Gateway Project would add on to the beautification projects that we are currently working on,” said Diamond.
“SU students please get informed first instead of being negative about something that can potentially add something to our already amazing institution. The Gateway Project is just a potential idea that may or may not happen on campus. We just ask that you get all the facts, before you decide to put ignorant things out about it. I ask that everyone delete all of their negative post and let your voices be heard at the polls,” urged Diamond.
Freshman Political Science major Abigail Wingette of Baton Rouge says he likes the idea but doesn’t think SU is ready for this type of beautification.
“I agree with it as a future project. It looks really nice, but I don’t think Southern is necessarily ready for it yet, because we would have this really nice entrance, but once you get over the hump and you’re like wait what happened? Also I wish the students were more politically aware of the process required to make some of the improvements needed on campus by contacting their legislators.”
On yesterday, SGA held a question and answer session for the students to voice their opinions and have all their questions answered pertaining to the Gateway Project, campus issues and any concerns in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom between the hours of 12 p.m. until 2 p.m.
After attending the rally, Alexis Flowers, a senior Accounting major stated “I feel like my questions were answered and I also gained a lot more knowledge about what’s going on in the university and how to become active within Southern University.”
Flowers went on to say “The Gateway Project is not going to stop anything else from occurring or getting better on our campus. It only is going to help our campus.”
Freshman Mass Communications major, Anthony Kenney, of Baton Rouge voiced his opinion on the relationship between SGA and the student body.
“Without trusting the student leaders, SGA is inefficient. If we don’t have that trust, we’re basically defeating our own selves,” said Kenney.
“After meeting with student leaders, SGA, Collegiate 100, AWS and Men’s Federation, we sat down and tried to figure out ways to raise participation. We realized that it wasn’t the Gateway Project that was a problem. It was awareness and participation on campus that was the problem,” said Tillery, when asked if the rally had changed from protesting the Gateway Project to a unity rally.
Students can vote on this referendum March 15, 2016 beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. in the Cotillion Ballroom of the Student Union.