UPDATED: Feb. 9, 2016 at 5:44 p.m.

Student Association Vice President Jane Hong discussed recently released statistics about international enrollment at Syracuse University and the Department of Public Safety at the group’s Monday meeting.

At the meeting in Maxwell Auditorium, SA President Aysha Seedat also stressed the importance of SU students taking a campus climate survey that begins Tuesday. The assembly also elected four new representatives.

Hong discussed a recently released report that indicated that in the past 10 years, SU saw a 143.21 percent increase in international student enrollment.

Hong said it will be important to increase the resources available to these students, and pointed out that the university’s upcoming campus climate survey is only being translated into Spanish.

DPS statistics were also recently released, and in the 2015-16 fiscal year, $46,826 was spent on programs related to DPS and SU students and 1,700 students were served, Hong said.

Hong said she hopes that in the future, SA will be able to help advertise more of these services so that more students can take advantage of those resources.

Previous to Hong’s discussion on statistics, Seedat spoke about the campus climate survey, which will be disseminated to students via email through the Division of Student Affairs from Tuesday until March 11.

All of the results from this survey will be published online.

“(The university) really wants to understand how everyone is feeling on campus on all things related to campus life,” Seedat said.

Officials from Rankin & Associates Consulting, a consulting firm, have been crafting the survey since the summer, Seedat said, and an SA representative helped with the process.

The climate survey is a result of a recommendation made by the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Sexual Violence Prevention, Education and Advocacy. The 14-member SU Climate Assessment Planning Committee containing students, faculty and staff also had major input.

The survey will address student concerns stemming from student stress levels to sexual assault issues, Seedat said.

During the fall 2016 semester, a report will be compiled and released with the result of the climate survey. The report will inform the development of strategic action of the university that will be implemented in the 2016-17 school year, Seedat added.

“If there is something that you wish you had known about Syracuse (before coming to SU) … this is your way of telling potential new students,” Seedat said.
Additionally, Hong said she hopes to launch in April the SU bike share program, which is still in its planning stage and would allow students free access to bicycles for at least a 24-hour period.

Also during Monday’s meeting, the SA assembly elected four new assembly representatives. Those elected included James Longo from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Alan Nguyen and Rachel Cathie from the College of Arts and Sciences and Eddie Devino from the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Clarification: SU has seen a 143.21 percent increase over the past 10 years rather than in the past year as Vice President Jane Hong said at Monday’s meeting.

Published on February 9, 2016 at 12:30 am

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