Editorial : Several major issues face SA’s 56th session
Elections for the next Student Association president and comptroller will begin next week. The elections will decide in which direction the university’s student government will go for the coming year and what issues facing students will take priority.
The Daily Orange Editorial Board offers some of the issues that should rise to — or stay at — the top of SA’s agenda. Among these issues are full representation, medical amnesty, the university’s reputation and internship support.
Maintaining full representation will be an ongoing challenge for SA, but it should remain a priority. The payoff will ensure SA becomes a more effective representative body by channeling voices from every undergraduate school and college.
New initiatives are important as new issues arise, but a handful of projects have been in the works for semesters, if not years. Candidates have proposed a number of very important and interesting initiatives for the 56th session, but SA should make sure to readdress stalled initiatives first.
For example, a medical amnesty policy that would ensure students who call for medical help while drinking are safe from penal action was brought to Syracuse University’s attention nearly three years ago. While the proposal is stalled in the administration and University Senate, a more outspoken student government may be able to push the administration to get the policy moving again.
Critical and heated discussion about SU’s national reputation and increasing enrollment has sparked conversation among faculty and staff. It has been an ongoing story at The Daily Orange, The Post-Standard and national publications. SA has already started reaching out to the administration to get data and relevant information.
As the assembly becomes more informed, it should consider involving the student body in the discussion. SA should also consider holding an open student forum or inviting the student body to presentations about these issues. For instance, Don Saleh, vice president for enrollment, will speak to the assembly at its weekly Monday meeting Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium.
Faculty and staff have discussed changing SU’s internship policies at USen meetings. They recognize that in today’s job market, internships are a necessity. Some majors even mandate internship or work experience as part of the curriculum.
SA should call on the administration and work with it to attract more internship grants fashioned after the Mark and Pearle Clements Internship Awards. The recent allocation of $1 million in overage funds to support more concerts or programming through University Union shows that pandering to superfluous student wants trumps long-term support. Internships are expensive and students need help. This is something SA can be loud about and should have put that money toward.
