Representatives from HirePotential, Inc., a consulting group, visited Student Association at its Monday meeting to get feedback on campus accessibility and inclusivity as part of Syracuse University’s disability services audit report.

The university created a 16-member committee in April 2018 to make recommendations to improve campus facilities for community members with disabilities. The audit will include a review of SU’s processes and policies on student housing, campus accommodations, medical leaves and other policies.

Michael Slater, a HirePotential representative, said at the SA meeting that the consulting group was gathering data for a report to be filed in November. SU Chancellor Kent Syverud first announced the possibility of a disability services audit in December 2017.

Slater asked SA leaders how accessible the SU campus is to students with disabilities and what can be done to make the school more inclusive. SA members said they hope SU’s disability resource centers would be more present on campus and begin to reach out to students in a more personal way about accessibility.

Mackenzie Mertikas and Sameeha Saied, SA’s president and vice president, also requested $5,000 in funding for the Get Yourself Tested initiative, a program that allows SU students to get tested for sexually transmitted infections. If funded, the initiative would be held through the Barnes Center at the Arch. SA funded the initiative last year, but Mertikas and Saied are looking to get more testing days and types for students. The request will be voted on at next week’s meeting.

“We hope to continue to fund (Get Yourself Tested) because the program is very well utilized,” Mertikas said. “Every year the full 150 tests get used up, and there are always students who want to be tested for free.”

Other business

• SU’s writing department is looking to work with SA to bring the Performing Identities Across Cultures program to campus, Mertikas and Saied said. The program’s goal is to have student groups perform short plays on the Quad around a central theme. The plays will not run until spring, but the department asked SA for suggestions on this year’s theme. The themes could include prejudice, stereotypes, gender, violence or any other prevalent social issue.
• SA voted to fund a retreat for the Student Buddhist Association, case access for the American Barristers Club and resources for Queer History Month through the Pride Union.
• Applications for Assembly members will be submitted this week, Mertikas and Saied said. Elections for each of the new members will be held during the next SA meeting on Sept. 16.

Published on September 10, 2019 at 12:03 am

Contact Maggie: mehicks@syr.edu | @maggie_hickss