Diversity, campus safety and the first-years’ experience on South Campus are three major campus issues, according to many Syracuse University student leaders.

These issues were discussed when the Student Association held its open forum allowing students to voice concerns about the university and the assembly after Monday night’s short meeting.

The forum, which SA is required to hold every semester, was a follow-up to the Student Leaders Summit held Jan. 31, where182 student leaders and 23 staff representatives discussed campus issues. Those at the summit were invited to the forum, but while assembly turnout was high, only a few non-assembly students attended Monday’s forum.

Juanita Perez Williams, associate dean of students, began the forum with a recap of the summit’s findings. A folder was distributed containing the notes taken by recorders during the summit discussions.

‘My hope is that you’ll take this information and decide what to do with it,’ Williams said. ‘You don’t have to wait on the university to do this.’

The summit addressed the three main issues: diversity, campus safety and the first-years’ experience on South Campus.

Based on the summit’s findings, many students believe there is both diversity and segregation on campus, Williams said. She noted that the desire for inter-group dialogue was mentioned five times during the summit.

‘It sounds like there was really good conversation, which I was happy to see,’ she said.

Summit members’ reactions to campus safety included what Public Safety and students can do, Williams said. South Campus concerns focused on transportation and academic resources.

SA President Ryan Kelly then gave a report on what has been accomplished since the summit. New bus schedules were the highlight, including a 24-7 South Campus bus during finals week.

In a recent meeting with Chancellor Nancy Cantor, Kelly said he brought up the need for academic resources on South Campus. The chancellor asked SA to come back with a proposal, he said.

As visiting students began to take part, the discussion then moved to funding for student groups.

Brian Stout, founder of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender activist group Outrage and a senior advertising and marketing major, said he wanted to see a change in SA’s funding processes.

In its current form, the process makes it difficult for new student groups to get off the ground, he argued. Stout’s group, Outrage, will no longer exist after he graduates this year, he said.

‘It’s not just a problem relegated to one group,’ he said.

Comptroller Mike Rizzolo said he’d like to work on that issue. At the moment, he said, the budgeting process favors student groups who collaborate.

The discussion then turned to combating student apathy, especially with regard to SA. Ideas included making use of the SU Events Web site and e-mail announcements to better communicate with students.

‘SA, as a defender of the students, does not have access to all our students through e-mail,’ said Larry Seivert, chair of the committee on university affairs.

During the assembly meeting prior to the forum, Kelly gave a speech about the assembly’s organization.

‘The culture of SA in the past has emphasized that these Monday meetings are the most important aspect in the Association. I do not believe this,’ he said. ‘Most of the work should be done outside these meetings.’

He expressed concern that some assembly members ‘either do not fully understand their duties or are not being directed on what needs to be done.’

Kelly and Vice President Marlene Goldenberg will have individual meetings with assembly members to discuss their duties, he said.

Money and Members

The Student Association approved four funding bills. The National Society of Black Engineers received $390 for two registration fees for its national convention. Alpha Phi received $1,500 for a benefit comedy show featuring Steve Hofstetter. The African Student Union received $1,106.10 for a speaker at a symposium to commemorate Ghana’s 50th anniversary of independence. The Student Voice received $1,022.94 for its special issue.

Helene Kahn, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, was voted to the assembly. La-Toya Francis, a sophomore communications and rhetorical studies major, was voted to the finance board.

The next meeting is at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 19, in Maxwell Auditorium.

Published on March 5, 2007 at 12:00 pm