SGA to extend events, increase RSO partnerships ahead of assembly elections
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.
Syracuse University’s Student Government Association aims to establish its presence and increase student engagement during the first few weeks back on campus through numerous tabling events and other appearances, SGA President and Vice President Emily Castillo-Melean and Max Latchut said.
SGA’s upcoming events include partnerships with other student organizations, such as fundraising events with OttoTHON, weekly grocery trolleys and the Multicultural Leadership Council. The association also strides to increase student engagement through a more robust social media presence.
“As an SGA, we are really focused on making ourselves more accessible and visible to students,” Castillo-Melean and Latchut said in a joint statement to The Daily Orange. “One of the biggest ways we are doing that is by expanding our presence on social media so students can more easily see what SGA is working on, what events are coming up, and how they can get involved.”
One event included a trivia station where winners could “pie” either Castillo-Melean, Lachut or Comptroller Ryan Bouchey with shaving cream during this week’s Student Involvement Fair.
WHAT YOU SHOULD READ NEXT
SGA introduces committee to improve university software at 1st meeting
At its first meeting this semester, SGA’s Director of Student Technology Affairs Julian Hernandez announced a board to improve SU’s software.
Face-to-face engagements, similar to the “pie the executives” trivia event, are what Castillo-Melean and Lachut said are at the forefront of building strong relationships with the student body. This is also part of a larger push by SGA to make the organization more accessible to students.
“We are starting new committees, such as the Committee of Public Health, which is open to all students,” Castillo-Melean and Lachut said. “We hope these committees will create more opportunities for students who are not part of the Assembly or Cabinet to get involved with student government and have a direct role in shaping initiatives that affect the student body.”
The goal of these broader initiatives and committees is to demonstrate unique ways students can engage with campus life beyond traditional student organizations. Under the leadership of Castillo-Melean and Lachut, SGA plans to create a more connected campus community.
“Whether it is a larger social event, a health-focused initiative, or an event celebrating different cultures and communities, students respond when we create opportunities that are relevant and accessible to them,” Castillo-Melean and Lachut said in the statement.
The pair said SGA has made positive strides toward this goal through the upcoming elections, with every assembly seat being petitioned for for the first time. Elections for new assembly members are slated to run from Sept. 22-26, with petitions to be on the ballot closing on Sept. 18.
SGA will resume its regular meetings Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Maxwell Hall Auditorium.
