ALBANY -- Historic initiatives were discussed at the University at
Albany and SUNY headquarters last week for the second Executive Committee
meeting of the new administration.
"We're in month three of the new
administration and have already achieved so much," said Student
Assembly President and SUNY Trustee Marc J. Cohen. "From newfound
collaborations with our partners in CUNY and ensuring effective student voices
are at the table for the Chancellor search, to visiting campuses and engaging
in critical topics of conversation surrounding higher education, this year is
shaping up to be among the most productive ever in the history of SUNY
SA."
Since the last transitional meeting in June,
Cohen has made historic bounds for the organization. At the meeting, Cohen
mentioned his recent visit with CUNY Student Senate President Joseph Awadjie.
The two leaders are currently organizing to push forward the first large-scale
collaboration between the Student Assembly and Student Senate in recent
history.
"SUNY and CUNY students can and must
collaborate on issues like sexual violence prevention, environmental
sustainability, state support for public higher education, and college
affordability,” said Cohen. “Sitting down with President Awadjie and his
Cabinet was a significant step in the right direction."
Along with efforts to move both systems
forward, the Student Assembly will also support a new collaboration initiative
to bring SUNY student input into the process of selecting the next chancellor.
The Student Advisory Committee, comprised of SGA Presidents from across the
system, was established to assist the Chancellor Search Committee.
"To me, it's common sense to have students
intimately involved with the selection of the next leader of their university
system. What is essential to remember is that our next Chancellor will
represent the great diversity of our system; I don't think that can be achieved
without student input," said Nicholas Simons, Student Assembly Chief
of Staff. "The Student Advisory Committee will ensure that the most
important stakeholders, the students, have a vital role in solidifying the
future of our schools and our state."
At the first half of the business meeting in
SUNY headquarters, Student Assembly leaders met with government leaders and educational
leaders to discuss SUNY’s path forward to tackle issues such as state funding
for the upcoming year.
Rey Muniz, Student Assembly Director of
Legislative Affairs, is confident in the work ahead for the Legislative Affairs
Committee.
"This year is going to be all about taking
real action. We are tackling the toughest issues and working hard to not only
identify problems that students face, but also to devise effective solutions
that put students first,” said Muniz. “I'm very excited to be working with the
best in the system, and with their help, we are going to deliver the best
legislative agenda to date."
Student Assembly Vice President Bridget Doyle
was encouraged by the tone of this past weekend. “Our August Executive
Committee meeting at UAlbany has truly helped launch us into the next phase of
our term,” said Doyle. “We hope to get every SUNY SGA signed onto the ‘It's On
Us’ campaign to prevent sexual violence on our campuses. We are planning to
walk in the ‘Out of the Darkness Walk’ to raise awareness of the impact that
mental illness and suicide has on our student body. Additionally, we will make
great headway on our Fall and Spring SUNY SA Conference planning.”
Looking to address issues facing SUNY students
outside of the state legislature, two new subcommittees, the Disability
Advocacy Subcommittee and Online Learning Subcommittee, were formed at last
week’s meeting.
"The disabled community is currently the
largest minority group in the world. Yet we are also one of the most overlooked
groups,” said Burgandi Rakoska, Chair of the Disability Advocacy Subcommittee.
“We will ensure that SUNY is listening to its students with disabilities. We
will also minimize the physical, emotional, and societal barriers that students
with disabilities face on an everyday basis. In short, we will work to ensure
that higher education is accessible to all."
"I'm excited to see the work that the
Online Learning Subcommittee will undertake in the coming year,” said Arthur
Ramsay, Deputy Director of Academic Affairs, whose department oversees the
Online Learning Subcommittee. “The subcommittee is looking forward to getting
input from SUNY students on issues related to online learning and related
programs."
The Student Assembly will host its next
Executive Committee meeting at SUNY Fredonia next month.
Source: SUNY SA
No comments:
Post a Comment