Eight students from four colleges were voted into the Student Association after being elected to various positions within Syracuse University’s student government.

Despite debate about the qualifications and dedication of some candidates, six representatives were elected to represent four colleges Monday evening in Maxwell Auditorium. Additionally, two members were added to the Finance Board, the branch of SA that oversees more than $1.5 million in student activity fee money.

For the most part, the assembly moved swiftly through elections as two students were elected to represent both the College of Arts and Sciences and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The Martin J. Whitman School of Management and School of Education each grew by one representative. Additionally, Whitman sophomores Moises DeLeon and Michael George were each named to the Finance Board.

The most extensive discussions about candidates were launched about undecided Arts and Sciences freshman Anthony Lezama and sophomore School of Education student Daniel Hernandez.

Concern about Lezama centered around his lack of experience within the organization and his inability to name a specific initiative within SA that he’d like to work on. But SA Vice President Duane Ford vouched for the freshman, citing his own personal inexperience as a rookie member.

“When I came into SA, I had no clue what I was talking about,” Ford said. “Just because you don’t know what you’re doing in the beginning doesn’t mean you can’t learn.”

Assembly representative Sean Dinan expressed similar support by referencing Lezama’s letter of intent, which was previously emailed to the assembly. In the letter, Lezama pointed to specific issues, including campus safety, which SA is already working on, Dinan said.

Likewise, the general assembly spent an extended amount of time examining the qualifications of Hernandez, who was eventually approved as a School of Education representative. During his introduction, Hernandez mentioned he currently serves on all of SA’s committees as a non-assembly member, a point that faced criticism when the sophomore stepped out from the room and the assembly discussed his commitments.

Multiple former and current committee heads that have worked with Hernandez, including Chair of Student Engagement Janine Savage, Chair of Academic Affairs Jenny Choi and Chair of the Student Life Committee Ivan Rosales, voiced concern about Hernandez’s ability to manage initiatives when spread so thin among the various committees.

“For the most part, his attendance within the committee hasn’t been too consistent,” Choi said. “When he does come, he gives his update when he has it, then leaves.”

Offering a counterpoint, Vice President Ford said in addition to his experience on various committees, Hernandez would bring a valuable voice to Monday night meetings.

Despite the concerns, Lezama and Hernandez were two of six representatives elected Monday.  Additionally, junior policy studies major Taylor Bold was named as an Arts and Sciences representative, and sophomore marketing major Emily Bordieri was named a Whitman representative.

ESF also filled two representative seats with freshman Taylor Della Rocco and Eugene Law, a fifth-year environmental resources engineering and environmental biology major who previously served as SA’s parliamentarian.

After the meeting, SA President Allie Curtis said this is the highest number of seats ESF has filled during a session in her time with the organization.

For his part, Law attributed his return to a desire to maintain a bond that has developed between the two campuses in his time at SU.

Said Law: “We’ve made some good movement in integrating in the two student governments in the last three or four years, and I don’t want that to fall away.”

Other business discussed:

•  The assembly approved $2,937 in programming funding for four separate student organizations.
• Daily copies of The New York Times and USA Today will be made available to University College students, an amenity already offered to full-time SU students, Curtis announced.
• The Student Engagement Committee conducted its first little impact by hosting a blood drive in February. Little impacts will occur monthly leading up to the weeklong Impact Week in the fall.

Published on February 19, 2013 at 12:45 am

Contact Debbie: dbtruong@syr.edu | @debbietruong