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Syracuse University’s Student Association held three elections during its Monday night meeting, filling two seats on SU’s Alumni Association Board and one seat in the University Senate.

The assembly unanimously elected sophomore Fatoumata Barry to USen. They also voted SA Vice President Reed Granger and Emily Castillo-Melean, a general assembly member, to the SUAA board.

SUAA is responsible for communicating with alumni, parents and students about issues on campus, according to its website. SU’s University Senate serves as the academic governing body on campus, with senators representing faculty, students, staff and administration.

Barry, a political science student, previously served as a member of SU’s Community Review Board. Before the assembly voted, she spoke about her goals to support transfer students and to improve policies within SU’s Department of Public Safety. She said she wants DPS to encourage conversations between students and campus police officers.

Barry also talked about her experience as a transfer student and some of the challenges she faced. Hearing students with similar stories, Barry said she wants to engage with students across all areas of the university to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment.

“We appreciated her perspective as a transfer student. Again, (it’s) not one that we always get,” SA President German Nolivos said. “We thought that she did a great job of explaining to us what impact she hoped that her being on University Senate would have for transfer students as well”.

Castillo-Melean and Granger both ran uncontested for the SUAA seats. Castillo-Melean will represent the class of 2028 and Granger the class of 2026.

Castillo-Melean, a freshman majoring in policy studies, told the assembly that she wants to facilitate meaningful discussions with alumni and bring awareness to important projects on campus, such as campus safety. She said she hopes to introduce initiatives offering more training opportunities for officers and creating more resources outside of DPS.

Granger said that as a junior, with over two years observing SU’s campus, they’ve formed opinions about what needs improvement. They said their capability to bring problems to the board in a productive manner will allow for real change.

“(Alumni) used to be students. They’re not in touch with that right now, but we’re here to liaise that better,” Granger said.

Both Castillo-Melean and Granger will serve as class representatives until their graduation. Their first meeting with other members will be over the weekend, Anna Ginelli, SA’s chief of staff, said.

As of Monday’s meeting, there are two vacant positions in SA, including its academic affairs chair and its community and government affairs chair. Interviews will begin over the next few weeks as SA plans to elect members to these positions before their Spring Planning Meeting in December.

Other business:

• “The Dreamer Bill,” first introduced by Nolivos and SA Speaker Pro Tempore Tim Wong during last week’s SA meeting, passed unanimously.
• SA passed a spending bill for Harvest Festival, which will be on Nov. 12 on Shaw Quadrangle.
• Wong introduced a bill proposing a trolley funding increase for an event at La Casita Cultural Center. It will be voted on next session.

Published on November 5, 2024 at 1:08 am

Contact Sydney: sadepiet@syr.edu