SGA Senate discussed further plans for the upcoming Lion Night April 18 in their meeting Feb. 21.

Senator John Thigpen said the Office of Student Affairs will again be taking part in sponsorship of the event, alongside Florence Main Street.

“This event is happening,” Thigpen said. “Now it just comes down to figuring out details and getting things in order.”

Three bands will be booked for the event, Thigpen said. The Interfraternity Council will also be incorporating their annual “Walk a Mile (in Her Shoes)” event into Lion Night this year, where fraternity members will walk a mile downtown in heels to raise awareness about rape, sexual assault and gender violence.

After a guest speaker from Florence Main Street attended the Feb. 14 Senate meeting, members are also now brainstorming ways to add new features to Lion Night.

Members discussed adding guided tours for students around downtown areas, and while some senators said they felt it would be unnecessary, others said it could be useful for students.

“I know that there are some places freshman students haven’t been to, even if they have lived here for seven or eight months already,” said Mary-Francis Wilson, senator.

Discussion of further plans for the event will come in future weeks, Senate officials said.

The inaugural Lion Night was held last semester and was started as a movement to introduce UNA students to downtown Florence and what the city has to offer, officials said.

SGA President Will Riley also gave an update on the university’s move to Division

I during his officer report. He said he met with officials recently, and while UNA is still waiting on a conference bid, a new conference has sparked the university’s interest.

“The Atlantic Sun Conference is something we’re looking at right now,” Riley said. “The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) would still be a good fit for us, though.

“We’ll be D-II through at least next year, so nothing is set in stone yet. That’s just one of the options available for UNA.”

Sarah Emerson, chairperson of the Legislative Affairs Committee, presented Bill 13-11, which would allot $285.75 from the miscellaneous section of the 2012-2013 budget to buy T-shirts for Senate members.

However, Wilson said since she has a quote from a company, she is currently working on a separate bill to purchase polo shirts for the organization. She will be presenting the bill at the next Senate meeting, she said.

Bill 13-11 failed in Senate, but the group will be looking at both options for shirts at the next meeting.