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Syracuse University’s Student Association filled four empty University Senate seats during its Monday night meeting. SA leaders also promoted upcoming events related to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.

SA members voted to elect Connor Transue, Hunter Tryloff, Qeti Endeladze and Jera Strony to the senate. The election was uncontested, as there were enough seats available for all the nominees. The candidates were still required to give a brief statement and answer questions from the assembly prior to voting, per the association’s bylaws.

USen includes faculty and staff members, as well as students of all levels. Student senators are expected to serve as agents of the student body within the university’s legislative process.

During his remarks to the assembly, Transue, a freshman, emphasized addressing SA’s internal budget issues. This year’s budget is lower than recent years and returning to pre-Covid levels, Comptroller Alexis Leach said during SA’s Sept. 9 meeting.

“The school receives a lot of funding, and there are many places that can be poured into, but putting it into … fixing the budgets could be something that could be helpful,” Transue said.

Tryloff, a sophomore and current SA associate justice, spoke about his ongoing work within the association to improve SU’s First Year Seminar curriculum and resources for freshmen.

Endeladze and Strony, both freshmen, hope to address the transportation needs of students.

Strony said she wants to improve transportation, specifically to provide a deeper connection between students and the city of Syracuse. Connecting with and exploring the city’s culture will allow Syracuse to “feel like home” for students, she said.

Endeladze said she wanted to focus on transportation needs for undergraduate students who don’t have access to a vehicle.

“(I hope to) make transportation more accessible, especially to younger students who don’t have a car on campus, especially because the city of Syracuse has a lot of great opportunities that undergraduates could take advantage of,” Endeladze said.

All nominees were elected as senators after an assembly vote.

SA Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion Janese Fayson delivered her first report of the semester to highlight the committee’s past and upcoming initiatives.

Fayson said she’s excited for the association’s Indigenous People’s Month programming in November. SA director of Indigenous affairs, Nas Bellard, is planning a celebration at the Native Student Program house at 113 Euclid in the month’s honor.

The DEIA committee is also planning events for a multicultural week in celebration of Black History Month in February. SA intends to collaborate with SUNY ESF for the event.

Fayson also spotlighted SA’s collaborative meetings with the university’s Disability Access and Inclusion Council. The groups discussed ongoing accessibility efforts at SU, including the recent addition of sensory-friendly rooms in Bird Library and several upcoming initiatives.

“Something that was really exciting to me is the new sensory spaces in Bird Library,” Fayson said.

The sensory-friendly rooms are a new addition to Bird this semester and are intended to create a space that is “sensory-inclusive,” designed to prevent overstimulation and stress. The rooms, available for reservation online, include a dimmable lamp, sensory discs, a liquid bubbler and a set of fidget items.

Following the DEIA updates, Anna Mirer, vice president of university affairs, encouraged members to attend and spread awareness about the upcoming Butterflies and Bedtime Slumber Party on Oct. 23. The event is part of SA’s Mental Health Awareness Week.

The party will feature a Halloween costume swap to promote sustainability, a fort-building competition for students, food and a screening of “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” The event will also include activities aiming to improve attendees’ mental health, including craft stations and a yoga class in collaboration with the Barnes Center at The Arch.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misstated the name of SA’s current director of Indigenous affairs. Nas Bellard is in this role. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on October 22, 2024 at 12:22 am

Contact Anna: aclevitt@syr.edu