Associated Students of Madison held a press conference Wednesday in Memorial Union to kick off its spring campaign.
ASM plans to establish a study day before exams, work with the Madison City Council on the Alcohol License Density Plan, improve Shadow Day for high school seniors and initiate a new campus safety plan, representatives said at the conference.
The study day would give students an extra day to relax and study without attending classes in upcoming semesters.
""UW-Madison is currently the only Big Ten school that does not have study days included in the academic calendar prior to exams,"" ASM Campus Relations Chair Christie Penn said.
""This leads to unnecessary stress and sleep deprivation and this shows a lack of consideration for students' academic efforts,"" she said
Steven Grant, representative for the Shared Governance Committee, plans to lead opposition against the Alcohol License Density Plan and revise the plan in order to increase focus on safety.
The Alcohol License Density Plan may reduce the number of alcohol licenses downtown in an attempt to reduce the number of establishments that serve alcohol in the area.
""They hope by decreasing the amount of alcohol establishments downtown, they will also decrease the amount of alcohol related violence downtown,"" Grant said of the City Council's view of the plan.
However, according to Grant, the plan is unclear as to how it would affect campus safety and said he hopes to work with the Council on this issue.
The ASM Diversity Committee aims to increase Shadow Day participation by holding it on a Monday this year, instead of a Friday.
The program hopes to draw in students from underrepresented populations by inviting area high schools to spend a day on campus learning about college life, according to coordinator Ashley Beene.
Finally, ASM is working with the Madison Police Department to create a new campus safety program this spring, Penn explained.
The program would involve sponsoring groups of five students to patrol the neighborhoods surrounding Regent and Spring Streets on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
If the program is successful, ASM hopes to expand it to five more neighborhoods next fall, Penn said.
