The Undergraduate Student Government unanimously approved support of a statewide medical amnesty bill in the Minnesota House of Representatives, which would provide immunity to underage Minnesotans who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but need emergency services for someone else.

USG president Mike Orth said the University of Minnesota Student Government approached him last week in an effort to push approval of the bill.  

The bill gives prosecution immunity to underagers if they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol and they initiate contact with a law enforcement official or medical personnel to report that another person is in need of assistance. The person in need of medical assistance would be immune from prosecution provided they are voluntarily seeking assistance.

Orth said he hopes USG’s approval of support will help the bill to be passed.

“I hope that it will help them make a decision,” Orth said. “As far as I can tell, I don’t think it’s too controversial, but I hope that by adding our voice to the debate it can push it in the right direction.”

Orth said the bill falls within the St. Thomas Good Samaritan Policy, and that it is important for protecting students.

“It would be great for students at St. Thomas,” Orth said. “It would certainly encourage them to do the right thing in a tough situation. It will encourage them to call 911 even if they may be breaking the law themselves.”

Orth said new research showing that there is no safe level of tobacco has motivated the university to take a serious look at going tobacco-free.

USG also unanimously approved club budget allocations for spring semester. Vice president of finance Miracle Vansiea said the budgeting was easier this semester because of additional funds USG is able to provide clubs.

Vice president Jenna Johnson said USG’s I’m a Tommie Campaign will begin April 2, with photos of students holding a whiteboard saying something that identifies that student with St. Thomas.

“We want people to know what other students are doing,” Johnson said. “So, by writing on the whiteboards, ‘I’m a Tommie because I go to basketball games,’ or ‘I’m a Tommie because I love the food at The View,’… just anything that makes people super excited about St. Thomas and want to get the word out.”

Johnson said she hopes the photos will be combined to make a large mosaic Tommie cutout that will be put in the student center, and they will also be used in a slideshow on a television screen in the USG office.

“We’re hoping to get a huge life size Tommie made up of all these people, big enough so you can actually read their signs, and so we’re going to hopefully display it (in the student center atrium) for a few weeks,” Johnson said.

The Neighborhood Relations Committee is partnering with the Sustainability Committee and the Health and Wellness Center to plan a farmer’s market on campus in May. The farmer’s market would include produce from local farmers, and also events like face painting and live music in order to include the entire St. Thomas community.

Senior Jesse Stock announced that the Sustainability Committee has started to raise awareness about RecycleMania. The group has set up a showing of the documentary “Oceans of Plastic” for March 20 in the John Roach Center, which Stock said would relate to RecycleMania, and also USG’s plastic water bottle-free initiative.

Stock also said the sustainability committee has been working to get recycling bins in high volume places to increase the amount of recycling at St. Thomas.

Gabrielle Martinson can be reached at mart5649@stthomas.edu.