SGA swears in 15 new members, votes on slew of motions at Monday meeting
SU’s Student Government Association swore in 15 new members Monday. After swearing in, the representatives voted on their first series of motions, including the Crossroads Collective’s funding request for its Syracuse city Food Crawl. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer
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Syracuse University’s Student Government Association swore in 15 new assembly members at its Monday evening meeting. The members took to the stage in Maxwell Auditorium, taking SGA’s Oath of Office as Speaker of Assembly Emily Castillo-Melean struck the gavel and confirmed the new members.
“I’m excited to, first of all, prepare a new generation for student government, a new generation of leaders,” SGA President German Nolivos said. “I’m excited to get them more involved and be an organization that is always trying to improve.”
The new members voted on their first series of motions, one being the Crossroads Collective’s funding request for its ‘Cuse Downtown Food Crawl.
The organization requested $195 of the assembly’s $60,000 budget. The bill was originally presented at SGA’s Sept. 22 meeting by its sponsor, Kenneth Lanterman, but more details were shared with the new assembly members.
Before voting, some assembly members questioned why the organization didn’t follow SGA’s routine funding request process for RSOs. Lanterman and SGA’s Comptroller Alexis Leach said it had to do with the regular process’s deadlines, and Crossroads Collective asked for the request to go through the assembly, which Leach approved.
The bill passed unanimously in a 28-0-0 vote, with the food crawl event now sold out.
In their executive report, Nolivos and Vice President Janese Fayson praised the new members and SGA’s communication team for the boost in this election’s engagement.
“Whatever you put into it is what this organization will give you back. So I hope to meet you all,” Nolivos said. “Please come to talk to us. I want to meet every one of you, every single one of you.”
Derry Oliver, a representative from New York Public Interest Research Group, also gave a brief public comment updating the assembly on NYPIRG’s most recent initiatives.
The nonprofit is working on several projects aimed at improving Syracuse’s environmental protections. Such initiatives include frequent phone calls to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office, lobbying for a transition to renewable energy in New York and co-hosting an anti-nuclear energy event Tuesday.
Oliver also emphasized the importance of NYPIRG’s current storybank project in improving higher education. College students can submit their experiences, which the organization shares with New York state elected officials. The stories can range from financial aid struggles to maintenance complaints.
“This helps bolster our advocacy. It puts a name (to a) face for politicians to understand how their actions impact us,” Oliver said.
Reed Granger, the University Senate student caucus chair, also provided a report on the latest senate meeting. Granger broke down the senate for new assembly members, which is comprised of faculty, students, administrators and staff.
There are up to 27 senate seats for students, with 22 currently occupied.
Granger also shared notes from Chancellor Kent Syverud’s report, with details of a decrease in enrollment at SU, which he said is a downtrend compared to previous years. The senate’s Parking Advisory Working Group also started work on addressing parking prices and faculty parking concerns.
Next Monday, SGA will have a full organization meeting, including directors and committee members, along with the assembly members and executive team.
