Syracuse University Student Association members expressed concerns and suggestions about the Invest Syracuse initiative at its Monday night meeting, which was attended by SU administrators.

SA members were primarily concerned with how Invest Syracuse handles SU’s financial aid system and the transfer student experience.

Michele Wheatly, vice chancellor and provost, and Dolan Evanovich, senior vice president for enrollment and the student experience, outlined how Invest Syracuse funds have been allocated since SU launched the initiative in July 2017. The $100 million fundraising plan is intended to improve SU’s academics, student life and financial aid opportunities.

“Invest Syracuse is all about you,” Wheatly said to the SA assembly. “Take a finger and point it back to yourself.”

Two assembly members said that their experiences applying for and receiving financial aid was complicated. They said they both received their financial aid grants more than halfway through summer break, leaving them unsure about their financial status until August.

“Invest Syracuse will help a little bit, but it can’t solve all your problems,” Evanovich said. He cited federal mandates as a reason for the late financial aid awards.

The two administrators took questions from the assembly following their presentation. Evanovich acknowledged SU’s lagging investment in financial aid resources.

He said that the university will have to raise approximately $500 million for its financial aid to be competitive with other private universities, which he described as a “long-term goal.” SU is spending $260 million per year in institutional money to invest in financial aid along with their fundraising efforts, Evanovich said.

SU has raised $24 million of the $40 million it has pledged to use for scholarships, according to a slideshow presented by the administrators. The university has identified $23.5 million of $30 million in planned cuts to administrative spending.

Evanovich pointed to Cornell University, Lehigh University and Lafayette College as schools that have committed to increasing financial aid opportunities earlier than SU.

“We are so far behind our peers,” he said. “We just haven’t been in the game for raising additional amounts of money. That’s why we’re behind.”

Another repeated concern among assembly members was how transfer students are integrated into campus life. Evanovich said that SU has to work on the transfer student experience.

“Transfer students don’t want to be lumped together with first-year students because they’ve already gone through that,” he said.

Transfers make up 300 of the 3,600 SU first-year students, Evanovich said.

SA members also called on the university to increase the number of on-campus jobs for students who don’t qualify for Federal Work-Study and expand outreach for international students who feel underrepresented.

Wheatly and Evanovich outlined the funds allocated to multiple Invest Syracuse initiatives, including:

• $5.5 million allocated to research, including an undergraduate research office.
• $3.2 million allocated to academic support, including changes for the first-year experience courses.
• $2.6 million allocated to “innovation,” including classroom technology enhancement.
• $2.9 million allocated to health and wellness, including new hires at the Counseling Center and the Graham Fitness Center on Mount Olympus.
• $2.7 million allocated to career and academic advising, specifically across colleges that have less academic advising resources. The four colleges in this pilot initiative are the College of Arts and Sciences, the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
• $200,000 will be allocated to fund international student support, including an online pre-orientation series for incoming Chinese students.
• $90,000 will be allocated to student engagement, including a new mobile app meant to promote involvement and community.

Other Business:

SA voted to allocate more than $7,000 for events in October celebrating LGBT History Month. The month-long event will start on October 3 with a kickoff pride parade at 1 p.m.

• The New York Public Interest Research Group is teaming up with the SA and Democracy Matters for National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday. The organizations will have tables on both the SU and SUNY-ESF quads, and in the Ernie Davis and Sadler dining halls. They will also table in Schine Student Center and the Gateway Center at SUNY-ESF.
• SA discussed a proposal to create liaisons to other student-run organizations. The assembly will vote on the proposal next Monday.

Published on September 25, 2018 at 1:08 am

Contact Gabe: gkstern@syr.edu | @gabestern326