Williams-Brice Stadium renovations
At the April 22 meeting of the student senate, senior deputy athletics director Jeff Crane gave an update on the renovations happening with Williams-Brice Stadium.
Crane said one of the renovations to the stadium is the addition of new enclosed spaces for student organizations to meet on non-game days. He said these spaces make access in and out of the stadium easier on game days. Some organization spaces will open in 2027, while others will not be finished until 2028.
There will also be two video boards added to the south side of the stadium, which will be operational in 2027, according to Crane. He said a tunnel will be added to the stadium to open it up to events such as concerts.
“One of our goals here is to bring more large-scale events to Williams-Brice Stadium,” Crane said. “We've got to find ways to utilize that stadium more than just seven times a year.”
Crane said there will be three kitchens added to elevate the experience of getting food and beverages at the stadium. There will be more seats added to the stadium with a new "party deck" in the upper levels and 1,300 seats added to the lower levels.
“One of the things that we've heard time and time again is that we have a number of students that can't get into games,” Crane said. “We don't know if we're going to completely solve that problem this go-around, but we're adding more and more seats.”
The renovations also include adding 45 new club suites, which will generate $25 million annually in revenue, according to Crane. He also said more bathrooms will be added to the stadium, and the marching band will be moved to a section where they can best be heard.
Crane said the project will cost $350 million, but that money will come from fundraising. He said in seven months they have raised $160 million for the project.
Student senate
Speaker pro tempore Matthew Frye resigned from his position due to his upcoming graduation from USC.
Frye said he has enjoyed his time as a senator and speaker pro tempore and feels happy with the work that he has done. He said he hopes he has left an impact on the senate by encouraging more collaboration.
“I just hope that if there's one thing I can leave behind, it's that senators should talk with each other more and help each other more,” Frye said.
Sen. Lina Louzri, who currently serves as chairwoman of the powers and responsibilities committee, was elected as the next speaker pro tempore.
“I'm committed to supporting this body and each and every one of you, strengthening the senate operations and continuing to foster the same passion that makes senate so impactful,” Louzri said.
Sens. Ryan Daly, Jeremiah Palmer, Lester Lewis and Bradley Gittens also resigned from their positions. There were several other resignations, including Daniel Violette as chief of staff to the treasurer and Houston Hughes as deputy chief of staff to the treasurer.
Vice chairman of the finance committee Benjamin Roach was appointed as chairman of the finance committee, following Thomas Spurgeon’s confirmation as student body treasurer.
The senate also passed several pieces of legislation, with most being internal bills and amendments. One recommendation was passed to allow students to have limited access to pepper spray on campus for self-defense purposes. This recommendation was sponsored by Sens. Lewis, Randolph Villariza, Tyler Morgan, Phil Kluge and Noah Young.
“This isn't a radical policy change,” Villariza said. “It's a simple oversight that we are trying to fix to allow students the option to defend themselves.”
This was the final meeting of the student senate for the 2025-26 academic year.