The Student Association Assembly passed two resolutions Tuesday to extend the weekend hours of both Alumni Arena and the Undergraduate Library.
The group also discussed a number of other concerns, including campus parking and problems with teaching assistants.
The discussion on whether to change the hours of the library, located in Capen Hall, opened with assembly member Leslie Meister.
"Many international students are here paying for an education and they aren't here for the nightlife. Therefore, it is not fair for them to be pushed around from lecture hall to lecture hall," Meister said. "The library hours need to be extended to 24 hours, every day of the week, in order to accommodate those who want to study during the evening on weekends."
Currently, the library closes at 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
SA Senator Viqar Hussain brought to the discussion his own personal experiences with the library.
"I go from lecture hall to lecture hall, being kicked out by janitors, on weekends after the undergraduate library closes at 9 p.m.," he said. "There are no other libraries open and I do not have access to the dorm libraries since I am a commuter. Therefore, having the undergraduate library open 24 hours would benefit me greatly."
Meister and Hussain also discussed the possibility of extending Alumni Arena's weekend closing time by three hours, to 8 p.m. They said many students still want to use the facility at later hours.
"Alumni Arena is already opened past general hours for sports and club teams. We feel that it is fair to all students to extend the hours for informal recreational purposes," Hussain said.
Meister and Hussain argued most students work out or go to Alumni Arena for recreational purposes in the evenings, yet many students cannot find the time to do so early in the morning before or in between classes.
Both the library and Alumni resolutions passed unanimously. If ratified by the Senate and signed by President Anthony Burgio, SA will begin to advocate for the changes with the administration.
Matt Miller, the newly elected chair of the student affairs committee brought up the topic of campus busing.
"Students are complaining of waiting for more then a half an hour after 5 p.m. for a bus to arrive," he said. "We are trying to accommodate these people by adding more buses during that time frame."
Bill Miller and Amy Martel, the speakers for the commuter affairs committee, touched on several ideas about UB's parking problem, which was similarly addressed at that night's SA Senate meeting. Miller and Martel said they didn't feel parking passes should be give to students in the dorms, since they have access to school transportation.
Martel suggested that dorm residents receive a ticket if they park on campus before 3 p.m. so that commuters can better find parking spots.
The commuter affairs committee also said it is trying to get commuter students more involved at UB, and they hope to add more events for next year.
Jennifer Sowinski, the newly elected chair of the academic affairs committee, took to the floor last to tackle the issue of Teaching Assistants.
"Students have been complaining about TA's for sometime now, stating difficulty in understanding their speech, as well as knowledge about the subject at hand," she said. "We want to have stricter tests given to these TA's for acknowledgement of the English language, as well as the subject of the class."
Sowinski also briefly discussed the possibility of teachers posting syllabi online before classes come into session.
