SU’s Student Association discusses advocacy, plans to improve Title IX

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Syracuse University’s Student Association discussed student advocacy efforts as well as the status of the Student Supreme Court Justices during its Monday meeting.

SA addressed student involvement with Chet Guenther, project coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group, a nonprofit organization that campaigns for greater participation in democracy and political involvement. On Sunday, NYPIRG protested in the March to End Fossil Fuels in New York City, with 37 SU and SUNY ESF students in attendance.

“Our main role was making sure that students up in this part of the state were given the opportunity to go and participate,” Guenther said.

The assembly also voted in favor of taking action to improve Title IX, after an alum complained to SA that they did not receive enough support from SU while filing a Title IX case.

Yasmin Nayrouz, SA’s executive vice president, said that with this vote, SA hopes to ease the process of filing a Title IX complaint at SU.

“We’re pushing to ensure that there’s more accommodations so that students who are going through the process don’t feel like they have to sacrifice their GPA or academics in order to bring justice,” Nayrouz said.

SA plans to collaborate with SU administrators to academically accommodate students who go through the Title IX process, Nayrouz said.

As SU is examining its legacy admissions policies in the wake of the Supreme Court of the United States’ decision to overturn affirmative action over the summer, SA has been working with university officials to determine the prevalence of legacy admissions.

SU legacy admissions are limited and rarely used, Nayrouz said. Chancellor Kent Syverud, Vice Chancellor and Provost Gretchen Ritter and Vice President of Enrollment Services Ryan Williams announced on Aug. 21 that SU would examine its legacy admissions policy and release a decision in the near future.

“They shared with us that legacy admissions are highly limited, not really used at Syracuse, which is great to hear because it ensures that the university doesn’t prioritize that, and they prioritize merit and a student’s experience and what a student can contribute to campus more than if their family came here,” Nayrouz said.

The Associate Chief Justice position on the SA Supreme Court remains open after members voted against the sole candidate for the position last week.

Other Business

• SA introduced two new bills, one of which proposed funding for food during “No Problem Too Small,” an event SA will host on Oct. 3 for students to express concerns to SA members to consider. The second proposed funding is for the International and Multicultural Student town hall meeting, which SA will host Sept. 28. The bills were not voted on during Monday’s meeting.
• SA will hold a Narcan training session on Sept. 27. The SU Harvest Festival will be held on Oct. 3.
• SA passed a bill to add a grocery trolley stop at the Central New York Regional Farmers Market.
• The Chair of the Board of Elections, Otto Sutton, noted that applications for Assembly positions closed with a total of 28 candidates. Elections will take place next week. SA is also sponsoring ‘Cuse Otto Vote again this year, which aims to increase student participation in upcoming fall elections.