A bill was introduced at Monday’s Student Association meeting to allow all people affiliated with Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF to speak freely at SA meetings.

Obi Afriyie, SA’s parliamentarian, said he felt the bill would give more representation to graduate students, part-time students and faculty who do not pay student activity fees, which prevents them from joining SA. The new bill would allow those students to have a voice in decisions made about the campus, said Ryan Golden, an SA representative.

Current SA rules mandate that members of the organization have to yield their time to any audience member wishing to speak. Then, that decision to yield must be voted on and approved by the SA assembly.

William Pritchett, an SA representative, introduced the bill, which will not be voted on until next week.

Some members said they were concerned the bill could make debates and discussions during the meeting longer and more disorderly. The bill, which could potentially allow graduate students and faculty to speak freely during meetings, could take some of SA’s focus away from SU’s undergraduate population, some members said.

 

Other Business

Members of SUNY-ESF’s Undergraduate Student Association also became liaisons to SA on Monday. James Quinn, a SUNY-ESF student, will be the official liaison between the university and SU. Anton Antchoutine and Gary King, also SUNY-ESF students, will act as informal liaisons.

Quinn said he hopes this partnership will increase coordination between the colleges and allow more joint events to be held.

President James Franco and Vice President Angie Pati announced an SA sponsorship of ‘Cuse for Good, a series of events intended to address the need for conversations surrounding social justice.

The event was developed by SU’s University Union and National Pan-Hellenic Council following concerns that, “a lot of major organizations were putting on events that were not working to the best interest off all groups on campus,” said Pati after the meeting.

Pati referenced issues that arose after Juice Jam 2017.

Last fall, seniors Ryan Bolton and Josh Floyd created “Blacker the Berry,” an alternative to Juice Jam. The pair helped organized the event because they were disappointed with the lack of representation of SU’s black community within the UU, and how it affected events run on campus.

‘Cuse for Good is a way to “bridge gaps between communities,” Pati said. The event is focused on promoting social justice and culture, and it will consist of various activities, including a group dialogue and a concert.

Pati and Franco announced that they had contacted Inclusive U, part of the Lawrence B. Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education, to possibly coordinate ways to make SA more accessible to non-matriculated and non-traditional students.

Chris Yin, SA’s director of technology, also announced a general plan to help students become more prepared for life after college.

Yin, a senior in the School of Information Studies, received a Monetary Award Program grant that required him to become financially literate and go over loan plans with a counselor.

Yin said he didn’t realize he “didn’t know how to be an adult out of college,” before the process.

SA members suggested events that could include a forum, educational conferences and workshops, increased coordination with the Office of Financial Aid and Career Services and classes that could run through the university.

Published on January 30, 2018 at 1:46 am

Contact India: irmiragl@syr.edu