A new merit scholarship for Syracuse University students is in the works.

Members of SA’s Committee on Academic Affairs presented a proposal for a new scholarship it had submitted to Vice Chancellor Eric Spina on March 28. The proposed scholarship is intended for students who entered the university without a scholarship but are excelling here. This is separate from the creation of an SA scholarship, which was discussed by the Cabinet at the last meeting.

‘Most importantly, we believe there is an inequality of recognition between current students and transfer students,’ said Joe Wieder, the committee’s chairman. ‘We rarely recognize current students for their achievements while at Syracuse.’

Spina said he supported the idea of the scholarship, according to Wieder. But technicalities, such as eligibility and funding, still have to be worked out. A refined proposal will be submitted to Spina at the end of the semester, and at this point, it’s uncertain when the scholarship will become a reality.

As the proposal stands now, currently enrolled students who entered SU without a scholarship will be eligible for merit scholarships of $6,000 and $8,000 – the same amounts offered to transfer students.

Students would compete for the scholarships within their home colleges, with the number of scholarships available depending on the size of the college. Those who earn the scholarships might have to attend special programming or participate in community service.

‘It’s important that students use what they learn and apply it outside the classroom,’ Wieder said.

However, some assembly members argued that limiting the pool of applicants to those who entered SU without scholarships might dilute it.

A possible solution, Wieder proposed, is to allow students who already have merit scholarships to apply for increases in the amount of scholarship money they receive.

‘I think the students who are most in need are the students who came into the university without scholarships,’ he said.

Budget deliberations

The Finance Board received 101 programming budgets and seven operating budgets, said Comptroller Mike Rizzolo, in a report read by SA President Ryan Kelly. Rizzolo was not at Monday’s meeting.

Deliberations on budgets will be necessary, Rizzolo wrote, because more money was requested than SA is able to allocate. Budget hearings will start this weekend.

SA also passed a resolution declaring its support for initiatives and upcoming events regarding the 10th anniversary of the Denny’s incident, which will be commemorated on Wednesday.

Denny’s incident anniversary

On April 11, 1997, three Asian American students, three Japanese international students and one white student were denied service at a local Denny’s and then were insulted with racial slurs and assaulted upon exiting the establishment.

SA supports creating a remembrance committee to memorialize the incident, according to the resolution.

There was some debate about whether the resolution should include all the organizations SA joined to support the initiative. Only Asian Students in America (ASIA) and the Asian Journalists Association (AJA) were listed, while several others were alluded to.

‘I want to make sure that when we put forth a resolution like this, that it includes everything we intend it to,’ said assembly member Neville Williams.

The resolution passed.

‘The bill is to support ASIA and AJA (on Wednesday), and I think it would be a shame if we tabled it,’ Kelly said.

Appointments

Also at Monday’s meeting, SA voted in Herbert Ruth to the assembly. A junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, Ruth will join 10 other assembly representatives from his college. Arts and Sciences can have a maximum of 13 representatives on the assembly.

Ruth said some issues he hopes to address include illegal alcohol consumption on campus and gym maintenance.

Next meeting

The next regular assembly meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 16 in Maxwell Auditorium.

Published on April 9, 2007 at 12:00 pm