The Office of Environmental Health and Safety does a lot to help keep the campus running smoothly throughout it’s day to day operations, and they let the SGA know about the different programs they offer

“I want to go through with you a few programs that we have,” said Mark Jee, director of the office. “Environmental Health and Safety is a pretty broad scope of responsibility, so we really cover a lot of things. So I’d like to cover each program that we have.”

One of the programs that the Environmental Health and Safety Office has is the Fire Safety Program. In the PowerPoint presented to the SGA, it was stated that they annually inspect and test 90 fire alarm systems around campus.

“Included in that fire alarm testing is the testing of panic buttons,” Jee said. “A lot of you know there’s panic buttons up on Buc Ridge, but we also have a lot of panic buttons that are being installed in the academic communities. So those panic buttons … they’re also attached to the fire alarm system.”

The office ensures the upkeeping of sidewalks as well as AEDs.

“We have 71 of those,” Health & Safety Specialist Chris Hurley said. “Public Safety has three of those in their vehicles. Also if you’re ever at an athletic event, the home team and the visiting team must have them with their athletic trainers.”

SGA member Elizabeth Thacker said that the presentation given by the Environmental Health and Safety was very insightful.

“It really helps with new legislation just to hear different points of views from different people on campus,” Thacker said.

Thacker said the one new piece of legislation that could be written is about the AEDs

“I know we had some of that last year,” Thacker said. “Personally I think I’d want to branch out and look at some of their other topics, maybe in lighting or something along those lines for new ideas for legislation.”

Thacker said that she had learned new things about how the campus is run thanks to the presentation.

“There are some things that I had never thought about like the whole slip and fall on the side walks,” Thacker said. “I guess somebody has to take care of that, but it had never really come to mind who or what did that.”