On October 12, Student Senate briefly discussed the use and accessibility of automated external defibrillators on campus after receiving a request from a student about the devices.

An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable device that checks the heart rhythm and can send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal rhythm.

AEDs are meant to be easily accessible in areas with large numbers of people like the Student Center in the event that someone has a heart attack.

“The reason why the AED is not in the case in the Student Center is because if it gets stolen. It’s a very expensive piece of equipment so one way to deter from that is to have it in an office which…I don’t know if it defeats the purpose of having it,” Student Senate Adviser Juan Blanco said.

Blanco informed the board that Student Senate Vice President Earl Crouchley III met with the Los Rios Police Department, who told him that they carry AEDs in their vehicles.

“I don’t know how many vehicles have an AED, so if a police officer gets dispatched, they have the AED with them, however, as you know if someone is going through a heart attack every second counts,” Blanco said.

Student Senate President Deborah Hernandez postponed the discussion until the next meeting because Crouchley III was running late and hadn’t made it to the meeting at that point.