SGA executives lay out summer groundwork for 69th session
As the academic year closes, SU’s Student Government Association is laying the groundwork for its 69th session. SGA plans to create a new member orientation process over the summer, including training guides and orientation sessions. Avery Magee | Asst. Photo Editor
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Following its 68th session’s final meeting last week, Syracuse University’s Student Government Association is now laying the groundwork for its next session by focusing on initiatives aiming to enhance training, communication and internal processes.
SGA President German Nolivos said he and Vice President Janese Fayson, along with the rest of its executive team, plan to implement a series of training sessions over the summer to ensure assembly members are prepared for fall semester events and meetings. The association will also create a new member orientation process over the summer, including training guides and Zoom orientation sessions.
The assembly will organize the training into sessions designed for specific positions, Nolivos said. It will include information on navigating internal SGA systems, and set clear requirements for members, including office hours, mandatory events and meeting attendance.
“We’re going to be contacting a lot of (cabinet members), we’re going to be doing summer training orientation again,” Nolivos said. “One or two calls over the summer to make sure that (they) all can hit the floor running for next semester.”
He said the training sessions will include essential information including the importance of the various policies and organizations involved in SGA, familiarizing members with the Board of Trustees, Title IX policies and SGA community standards to ensure an understanding of the association’s structure.
He also said the leadership team plans to create a document explaining each position’s key responsibilities. Training will include information about internal SGA systems, such as the association’s constitutional bylaws.
Nolivos said Luis Gomez, SGA’s chief of staff and Darren Murphy, SGA’s director of internal operations, will meet over the summer to coordinate and organize the fall semester activity schedule while collaborating with other SU offices.
The assembly will also begin summer planning for several fall semester events to ensure future events succeed. Nolivos highlighted the Walnut Park Farmer’s Market as one of the events SGA plans to host again, but will require summer meetings to coordinate the products and logistics.
While working on internal SGA initiatives, Nolivos said the executive team is also collaborating with the Office of Student Engagement to improve registration processes for registered student organizations. SGA hopes to create training for RSOs over the summer on event planning and fund management.
Following its recent name change from Student Association to SGA, which passed through a referendum after reaching the undergraduate student population voting threshold, Nolivos said the association hopes to undergo a rebranding process.
This period will require members of the leadership team to update and streamline their internal processes, modernizing them for the “new era” of SGA, Nolivos said. This will include planning for weekly check-ins and training in the fall 2025 semester.
As part of the rebranding and modernization efforts, SGA leadership also plans to create a financial experience report over the summer. It will address concerns from SGA members about spending and provide clarity on funding allocations. The report comes after several RSOs faced funding cuts this school year after budget restrictions.
The report is in response to concerns about spending on activities that don’t align with SGA’s goals, Nolivos said.
Nolivos and the rest of the executive team plans to begin summer training as the semester ends.
